You Leave Me Breathless
by CeroMero
Summary: An AU for 'Embarrassment of Bitches'. He smiles and then hums before moving his face dangerously close to hers. Their lips inches apart. Her lips are parted and her short puffs of breath are falling on his slightly parted lips. "Good", he whispers. Caressing the corner of her delectable mouth. "If you're done, I would really like to kiss you now."
1. Chapter 1

She can barely breathe, with her hand engulfed between two of his large ones, his thumb running small, delicate circles at the back of her hand.

She can feel the warmth seep into her very bones. His huge, bulk form, looming over her. His touch, a sharp contrast. He is such a big man, but his touch is so soft and tender, completely unexpected from a man of his size.

His proximity, his scent, his penetrating yet slight timid gaze is making her dizzy. He is looking at her with such tenderness and dare she call it Love – oh who is she kidding, she knows this man is irrevocably in love with her, if his unwavering loyalty is anything to go by and also his declaration of love all those months ago.

Thinking about that brings a sudden jolt of uneasiness and guilt at the forefront of her sentience. Her lie, the one she's been keeping from this wonderful and patient man suddenly makes her heart grow heavy with shame and guilt. But then she remembers why she has been lying to him. Why she hasn't told him that she remembers those precious words he gave her when she was drowning in pain, that she clung to those very words like a lifeline. Why she has been in therapy for the past few months, ever since her shooting, because she wants to be better for him. She wants to be whole before she dives into this with him because this caring, loving man deserves so much more than what she has to offer right now. She knows he is it for her. Her one and done. She just wants to get better and have the kind of relationship she wants with him, where she'll never have to look back or never have to keep one foot out the door. No, she wants all in. A hundred percent. No doubts. No ifs. No regrets.

She is broken out of her reverie when she hears a barely there whisper of her name. An almost inaudible, slightly strangled _Kate_.

She looks up and what she sees in those stormy blue eyes is years of longing and desire. She can see that the nearness and touching her has equally affected him as it has affected her.

He takes a step closer to her, completely dismissing the alarm bells ringing in his mind about walls and unsolved murder case. He looks straight into her eyes, conveying all his emotions and feelings, completely baring himself in front of her. He knows he is taking a risk because she's not ready but he is just so tired of tiptoeing around her, keeping his feelings in check, afraid that the depths of his love and affection would scare her away and she'll simply retreat back, behind the steel fortress she has built around her heart. The one where she hides away when she feels vulnerable and afraid to get hurt in return, always running from admitting her true feelings.

She swallows thickly, her mouth going suddenly dry. She is so overwhelmed right now. All she wants is to completely give in to her love for him and just let go but something is keeping her back. Like a mantra the words _I'm not there yet, I'm not there yet _are running through her brain.

She croaks his name from her parched lips. His name like a warning. To let him know that he needs to back away or else she won't be able to stop herself.

She has her eyes trained on their hands when she says his name. There's something in that tone. A warning and maybe a plead? He knows that in the next few seconds she'll probably push him away, with her voice more in control and he'll have to listen to her and respect her wishes about damned boundaries like he always does and they'll simply go back to them, pushing their feelings at the backburner and pretending this moment never happened, because this is what they do. They never talk about this kind of stuff and he is just so tired of not talking about this kind of stuff anymore.

With his mind made, he steps further into her space and he knows that she is a little surprised by this new, bold side of him, if the tiny gasp is anything to go by. She opens her mouth and he knows that she is going to ask him to step back but before she has a chance to voice out what he is suspecting, he says her name in a way that makes her blood singe with desire and need.

She meets his eyes and their eyes lock in an intense gaze. Without severing the eye contact, the tension between them now palpable that the air is thick with it and they have a hard time breathing, he lifts his right hand, the one that was rubbing circles on her hand a second ago, and tucks an errant strand of hair behind her ear, that has come out of her complicating yet devastatingly sexy bun.

She inhales sharply at the barely there touch of his fingers at the shell of her ear, and has a full-bodied shudder when he uses that hand to cradle the side of her face. His thumb tenderly stroking her earlobe and then the sharp jut of her cheekbone.

Her eyes flutter on a long sigh. His touch melting her erratically beating heart into a puddle. His touch is so reverent, and without knowing, she turns her face slightly into his hand.

His breathing is coming in short bursts now. He is floored by the softness of her skin, the sharp angles of her cheekbones. He swipes across the mole on her left cheek with so much love and care that has her eyes closing. God, he had always loved this beauty mark on her face. Always had the desire to touch it as well.

The look she's giving him, he can't decipher it. Her breathing is shallow and her pupils are dilated, the black of her pupils completely taking over the forest green of her irises.

"What-What are you doing?" she whispers. Her voice hoarse, her throat dry.

He grins in his mind but doesn't let it show on his face. Completely keeping his face serious and focusing entirely on the patch of skin his thumb is caressing, he replies in a quiet murmur.

"Touching you."

She sucks in a harsh breath. A little shaken by the intimate tone of his voice. His words injecting liquid heat in her bloodstream and desire pools low in her belly. The act is so new yet so familiar in a strange kind of way. This touching, they don't do this. They always rein in their desire to do so, no matter how much they want to. Instead, they compensate by reverting to their usual banter and verbal swordplay that is heavily doused with desire that they share for one another, leaving them equally breathless with it and yearning for more.

He knows she is slightly off-kilter with his bold move to touch her because this isn't exactly what they do. He can see it in her expression. She is having a hard time grasping with the reality of it. Maybe the intimate setting of her apartment is making him bold or the fact that all his limbs are still intact and she hasn't yet threatened him with bodily harm. Whatever the reason, he is deeply enjoying this new connection and can't, for the life of him, find the courage to step back and give her space.

No matter how bold his actions are, he is equally affected by this closeness. Her scent is so intoxicating with hints of vanilla, coconut and something entirely _Kate. _His senses are overcome with the onslaught of her scent and he moves in closer and lightly places his left hand on her waist, reeling her in slightly closer.

"Castle", comes her barely audible response.

"Hmm..." comes his non-committal response.

She is so out of her element right now. Completely tilted on her axis. But she is can't find it in her to stop him or push him away. But still she attempts.

"Royal", she blurts out.

Castle, who is now rubbing her earlobe between his forefinger and thumb. Loving the smooth, velvety feel of her skin. He completely ignores her and proceeds by outlining the outer shell of her ear.

She swallows thickly, summons courage and starts again.

"Dog!"

She mentally slaps herself for being so incoherent. She knows that he's enjoying himself right now, what with all the one syllable objections, which even to her own ears, don't make much sense or even sound like objections.

He is loving the fact that she is all flustered and is having a hard time stringing words together to form proper sentences, instead of the monosyllable words. He grins this time and tightens his hand at her waist and whispers in his deep, rich baritone.

"What about him, Beckett?"

Oh God. Why is he doing this to her. Why is he torturing her? Why can't he just... Just what? Hug me. Kiss me. Stop touching me. No. No, definitely not that. She doesn't want him to stop touching her and by the looks of his pure dedication towards the task at hand, in this very moment, she is sure that he doesn't plan on relinquishing his new found boldness that he has somehow mustered out of nowhere.

"I...uh..." she completely misses her train of thought when she feels his warm breath hitting her cheek. Oh God, when did he get so close?

"You what, Kate?" he questions, unperturbed. The intimate way he delivers her name sends shivers down her spine and almost makes her knees buckle.

"I...uh... I have to feed him. Give him something. Food."

Feeling dizzy, she clutches at his bicep with her right hand. He is so close right now that she can feel his warm breath hitting the sensitive spot behind her ear. She holds in a moan, keeps her mouth tightly shut.

"Already fed him. Worked it off as well, before you say you need to take him out for a walk."

His voice is laced with amusement. He is determined to stay put because if he backs out now, this moment will be boxed away with all those moments that they don't talk about.

He is ready to convince her that they can work together, if she just allows him, to break down this wall. He'll be patient and break it, brick by brick, until the rubble and dust settles at her feet and she'll be completely free and ready to move forward. With him.

"Alexis. Don't you... Don't you have to go home? She must be expecting you?"

She attempts using his daughter as an excuse. But apparently, he isn't the least bit worried about her at this moment.

"At a sleepover"

"Ma-Martha?" she tries again.

"Out"

He waits patiently for her to ask another question. Knowing full well that she is trying to get out of this, but he knows her well, more than she knows herself, and he knows that she wants this as much as he does. Craves it, in fact.

He waits another few seconds, and then asks.

"Anything else?" he whispers hoarsely.

Delicately touching her hairline and running his finger down her temple, then reverently runs his thumb along her eyebrow. He cradles her face and rubs the patch of skin beneath her eye.

She stands there thinking but coming up empty. Her mind is completely wiped out right now, with him constantly touching her and being engulfed by his presence, she just can't think straight.

"No", she mumbles. Clutching his bicep tighter and lifting her other hand to his shoulder. Her eyes wide and oh so beautiful.

"What was that?" he asks, looking heatedly at her lips.

She can't take it anymore. She thinks she might instantaneously combust with this blistering sexual tension between them. She shudders and looks at him with so much passion and repressed desire that she leans into him for support. Always trusting that he will catch her. He does, of course. He takes her weight with open arms. Pulls her closer to him, removing any distance left between their bodies and presses the long line of her lithe body into his. Torsos and pelvises coming into sharp contact, making them both hiss quietly. He bands his arm around her back, securing her in place and waits for her reply.

She releases a long, shuddering sigh and rests her forehead on his shoulder for a second. Overcome with so much desire. After a beat she raises her head and meets his gaze.

"No"

He smiles and then hums before moving his face dangerously close to hers. Their lips inches apart. Her lips are parted and her, short puffs of breath are falling on his slightly parted lips.

"Good", he whispers. Caressing the corner of her delectable mouth.

"If you're done, I would really like to kiss you now."


	2. Chapter 2

As soon as the words are out of his mouth, she prepares herself for the feel of his lips, finally, on hers. She is frozen in place, not like she has any choice because Castle has an iron grip on her. Her eyes are tightly screwed shut, breathing erratic with anticipation, and her spine ramrod straight. She is coiled tight like a spring, so full of tension.

Castle is looking at and feeling all of her tension right now. He is a little worried that he might have pushed her a little too out of her comfort zone. An understatement, really. He can feel, under the soft swells of her breasts, her heart beating furiously where their chests are pressed together. He knows, he knows that she is just wound tight about this whole situation, because he kind of took her by surprise. She was not expecting this night to turn this way, well, he didn't either, yet here they are. Standing so close, with no space in between, and breathing the same air.

He decides, then and there, that no matter what, he's not going to back down now. He'll make sure she sees how much he loves her, if not in words, then surely though his actions.

God why isn't he kissing me! This thought has been swirling around her head on a loop. She is about to open her eyes when he swoops in, completely bypassing her lips and goes straight to her forehead and lays a warm kiss there.

She sucks in a startled breath. The act so tender that has her melting further into his embrace. He doesn't stop there. He moves down and kisses, at first, the closed lid of her right eye and then her left, all the while, running his hand up and down her spine, coaxing her muscles to relax under his touch.

Her hands are now clutching his shoulder tightly. She can feel the warmth from his hand seep through the thin material of her top. His drugging touch, driving her wild and relaxing her at the same time.

Castle keeps his hand in motion at her back and then moves down and kisses her right cheek, lingering there for a moment, inhaling her scent, simply relishing the feeling of touching _Kate Beckett. _

He moves across to the other cheek, deliberately stroking his nose, affectionately along hers, which has her releasing a happy sigh. He smiles and presses another kiss on her right cheek, a little too close to the corner of her mouth.

She shudders and her left hand slides at the back of his head, enjoying the silky feel of his strands. She has, for so long, wanted to run her fingers through his soft, silky hair. Always wondered, what it would feel like, how soft will they feel under her fingers. Well, now she knows and she can't help but clutch tightly to his nape, her fingers lightly squeezing and she releases his name on a breathy sigh.

"Just relax, Kate" he whispers and lays another chaste kiss on her cheek. Then he nudges her nose with his and finally, finally eradicates any space left between their mouths.

As soon as their lips touch, fireworks explode behind their closed eyelids. It's nothing more than just a meeting of lips, yet it feels more.

Castle has one hand secured at the swell of her hip and his other hand is holding her nape, his fingers stroking the soft hair he finds there. He isn't putting any pressure, just letting her get familiar with the feeling first. After a few more pecks on her lips, he feels her going pliant in his arms, she releases a deep sigh, not happy anymore with just the chaste kisses that he's showering her with, she opens her mouth for more. Begging for more contact.

Her heart is beating so wildly that she thinks it might just break out from the cage of her ribs. She can feel more than hear Castle's humming sounds as he lays kiss after kiss on her lips. He is being too careful and gentle with her. Not pushing her for more, handing her the reins so she can control the pace of this kiss.

The kiss is so sweet and innocent and a sharp contrast to their first kiss. Thinking about their first kiss brings back memories of dark alleys, and ruse and the commanding way in which Castle sipped from her lips that night.

He was almost brutal in his assault, once, of course, she went in herself for that second kiss. She wasn't a passive participant either. She gave back as good as she got, plundered his mouth with her clever tongue and teeth.

That kiss has fuelled many of her fantasies ever since, leaving her writhing, sweating and aching for the real thing. The same kiss kept her awake at most nights, the taste of him lingering on her tongue ever after months. She knows that she needs to give him some kind of a sign, an encouragement for him to know that she is in this and enjoying it as much as he is. So, she parts her lips, silently asking for more.

He smiles when he sees her open her mouth a little, a silent invitation for more. He looks at her with hooded eyes, her eyes still closed. She looks flushed, her cheeks a rosy pink colour. Lips parted to show a row of perfect, pearly teeth. He can just make out the pink tip of her tongue and he is suddenly bombarded with memories from a night that they never talk about. The night he got to taste this beautiful, extraordinary woman for the very first time.

He knows she loved it as much as he did, if that breathy moan she let out is anything to go by. The thought thrills him that tonight he might get to hear that moan again. Maybe more.

She is waiting for him, mouth slightly parted and he doesn't waste any more time and swoops in. However, what he does next isn't what she was expecting. Using both his hands, he cradles her jaw with so much care and tilts her head back a bit, creating the perfect angle. Then, starting from the corner of her upper lip, he places moist kisses as he moves from one corner to the other. Only focusing on lavishing attention to her upper lip. When he is happy that he has kissed across all of her upper lip, he does the same with her bottom lip. Once done with both, he lightly nips her upper lip and laves it with his tongue.

She releases a breathy moan at his ministrations, followed by a whimper when he lightly nips at her lip and soothes the sting with the tip of his tongue.

Oh God. This man is driving her insane with his careful and precise kissing. She feels thoroughly kissed when in reality he hasn't kissed her fully yet. She was thinking once she'll give him the encouragement that she imagined he was waiting for, he would get right to it and kiss her just like he did last year – full with years of repressed longing, lust and desire. But right now, he is being unbelievably tender with her. Almost as if he is worshipping at the altar of her mouth. She suddenly realizes that this kiss is not about unleashing that long-held desire or lust, rather, a slow exploratory kiss full of promise and more than anything – Love – because he loves her and he is trying to show her through this slow, meticulous touching that this is more than just a kiss for him.

He is still peppering her mouth with kisses when he feels both of her hands slide down and placed flat across his chest. He knows that she is about to push him back before she even does, feeling forlorn, he quickly plants another kiss on her lips and loosens his hold on her, ready to step back when she'll push him. He is completely caught off-guard when he feels her hands tightly clutching the lapels of his jacket and keeps him in place.  
He looks at her then; her eyes are open and wide with so much wonder. Her lips are slightly swollen and red, pupils dilated and breathing harsh. On the other hand, his expression doesn't quite mirror hers because he is still wearing the despondent expression because he thought she was going to push him away.

She slowly, experimentally loosens her hold on his jacket, checking him he'll stay in place. He does. Of course, he does because there's nowhere else he'd rather be. She lifts her right hand and touches the side of his face. His eyes close on contact and he lets out a long sigh. She caresses his cheek and then rubs her thumb at the corner of his mouth.

He opens his eyes and she is shyly smiling up at him. He can't help the smile that blossoms across his own face and she smiles even more. Her face tracing every single inch of his face, as if she is memorizing every feature.

"Why the sad face?" she asks in a quiet voice, scared to disturb the quietness of this moment.

He looks at her with a confused expression, but then he figures out what she means.

"I thought you were going to push me away." He says with a slight shrug of his shoulders and looks down at his feet. He is downplaying how much the thought had affected him, plastering a smile on his face because now that they are talking again, he is suddenly feeling nervous about this whole thing, has no idea how she is going to react to anything anymore.

She can see the tension radiating off of him in waves and she knows that he must be thinking that she was going to push him away. So she tries to ward off his fears by explaining that she is not going anywhere in the only way she thinks she can at the moment.

She smiles at him, all radiant and beautiful with a hint of shyness, stands on her tippy toes and tugs him down by the lapels of his jacket and breathes the words across his parted mouth.

"After a kiss like that? No way. Not running anywhere" she whispers hotly across his soft, moist lips. She gives him a little nip and he gasps in surprise.

"Just" Kiss. "Wanted" Kiss. "More" Kiss. "Of" Kiss. "this"

She paints the last words across his lips in a breathy moan and slants her lips across his in a heated kiss. She instantly touches the tip of her tongue at his lips and he immediately grants access. Her tongue slips inside the warm cavern of his mouth and starts stroking his tongue. They both groan in pleasure and get lost in the taste of each other's mouths.

She suckles on his upper lip and then lightly tugs it with her teeth. Smiling wickedly when he lets out a loud groan and tightens his hold on her. She hotly swipes her tongue across his lips and then plunges her tongue into his mouth, non-too gently. She swirls her tongue around his and then rubs the tip of it at the roof of his mouth then sucks his tongue into her own mouth, groaning and moaning while she continues to devastate him with her wicked mouth.

He slides his hand at the back of her neck. His thumb touches her jaw and he can feel her jaw working under him as she continues to kiss him hotly. The erotic feel of her jaw moving sends liquid heat down south. He stands taller, grabs the back of her bun and tugs, bending her slightly so he can plunge his tongue further inside her slippery, warm mouth.

She lets out the loudest moan yet and hooks both of her arms around his neck for support. Loving how he is looming above her and devouring her with his lips, tongue and teeth. Images of him, looming above her in an entirely different position comes to mind and she moans again.

She shoves his jacket off of his shoulders and starts squeezing his bulging biceps. She slides her right hand down his chest; her wicked little thumb puts pressure right underneath his belly button, which has him clutching at her even more. She smiles and moves her hands across his waist and then slides back up his spine. Even through the cotton of his button-down, she can feel the play of his muscles, bunching up as her hands glide up before cupping his shoulder blades.

He isn't a passive participant in this touching game. He dips his hand, where it's placed at the swell of her hip, beneath the flimsy material of her shirt. He is instantly greeted with smooth, ivory skin. He hears her gasp out his name in surprise and arousal. He breaks the connection of their lips with a loud pop, and gazes heatedly into her eyes.

Her eyes are glazed over with desire pooling in the depths of them. Still looking into her eyes, he moves his hand across her flat, toned stomach. She hisses, never breaking the eye contact.

He thinks he should punish her for teasing him earlier, so he uses his thumb and swirls it, round and round, in circles at her belly button.

"Oh. Oh God" she moans out in a hoarse voice. Her eyes slipping shut with the intensity of it all. The heated gaze, the erotic touching, the smell of him surrounding her.

He dips his thumb into her belly button and when she gasps out loud, with mouth wide and open, he wastes no time and plunges his tongue inside her mouth. She hums in pleasure and then whimpers when she feels him put pressure right beneath her belly button.

"Ahh… mmm.. God. Castle!" she is shaking with pleasure at this point. She doubles the ferocity of her kisses and nips at his tongue for making her go out of control with just a touch.

He is in heaven. He is in absolute heaven because what Kate Beckett is doing to him with her tongue is mind-blowing. She tastes like chocolate and wine and something spicy. He feels lightheaded and all kinds of dangerous thoughts enter his brain - thoughts of Kate and a myriad of flat surfaces. He quickly dismisses such thoughts because if kissing her is all he's going to get tonight then he isn't complaining at all. He will take this as slow as she wants, at her pace. He would be lying if he says that he hasn't thought about them under the sheets. He has, on many occasions, thought how he will make love to her for the first.

The mere thought of it excites him further and he presses her closer. She lets out a groan at the contact and he knows that she can feel exactly how much all of this is affecting him. His arousal is pretty prominent at the moment and he decides that before he embarrasses himself, he should stop this. Put some breathing space between them, so he can try to get his arousal in check.

But then she breaks the seal of their lips and dust open-mouthed kisses all along his slightly stubbled jaw and bites at the thick tendon of his and then nips at his Adam's apple.

"Kate!" he rasps out, finding it hard to breathe at the moment. His hands, having a mind of their own, migrate towards the patch of skin that he was previously exploring. He gets his hands back under her shirt and this time she releases a gasp, while slowly sucking at his pulse point. He is sure that she's going to leave a hickey. The thought thrills him that he'd be marked by Kate Beckett. Mmm.. Definitely not a bad thing.

He slides his palms up, adding his nails to the mix, which has her sucking harder at his pulse point, while occasionally licking the abused spot. He is gliding his hands up, up, up, almost reaching the undersides of her breasts when suddenly they hear a loud bark, breaking through the sound of clashing teeth, laboured breaths, moans and groans.

Both of them break apart at the sound. Both of them completely caught off-guard by the bark. Royal. Right. They had completely forgotten about the dog in her apartment. The sole reason he came to her apartment tonight.

Surprised by the sudden intrusion, both of them jumped apart and are now standing almost a foot away from each other. The sudden space created between the two seems like a gaping hole and suddenly they both feel lonely and stranded apart.

Royal is sitting patiently on the floor, looking between them and wagging his tail.

Castle sighs and runs his hand across his face, suddenly feeling a little disappointed for being cock-blocked by a dog. The absence of Kate in his arms feels like a loss. Although, he was planning on slowing them down himself, to get some breathing room, maybe talk a little before they got on with their – activities. But now he is unsure of what this break in momentum would ensue? Whether she'll like to continue where they left off or she'll let him talk to her about what just happened between them or maybe, the more likely scenario, she'll shut him out, like she always does and will pretend that this – them kissing – never happened and then she'll definitely ask him to leave, since she'll be wanting her space again.

Thinking about this really puts a damper on his arousal and all the excitement from earlier. He visibly deflates with the possibility of them never talking about this, like all the other things they don't talk about. Now he feels stupid for even pushing her today, for making her do this. He knows, however, that he certainly didn't force himself on her, and he had, at every point, given her the choice to push him away and he would have stepped away like a gentleman, if she had so much as showed any signs of discomfort or being pressurized. Although, if he really thinks about it he did kind of pressured her, cornered her and made her succumb to this constant frizzle of arousal that sparks between them. Maybe if he had waited, like he has been doing, ever since she mentioned why she needs time and space, to deal with her Mother's case first so that she'll be able to have the kind of relationship she wants. He has waited; he would have waited longer if he had just acted wisely today. What if this is what breaks them? What if she just can't deal with this emotional stuff right now and then they will be forced back to square one and all the progress they had been making would be for nothing.

Oh God. What a mess he has made.


	3. Chapter 3

She is panting, as they break apart, with the intensity of his assault on her lips, her body, her soul. She is still a little taken aback and mesmerized by the way he invaded her personal space with so much control. Not at all worried about how she would react to his bold move, and in all honesty, she thoroughly enjoyed this side of him. God, it really did it for her. Her body is still thrumming with so much need and arousal that she shifts on the balls of her feet and presses her thighs together to alleviate some of the ache between her legs.

What just transpired between them, she wouldn't call it a mistake. No. Never. Never a mistake because she knows, in her mind, this is exactly where they were headed. They were inevitable and maybe she doesn't have to wait for her mom's case to be solved before they dive into this together, right? Maybe she can do this as well as pursue her mom's case. It's not like she has made any headway in the investigation. No, far from it actually. They have had no new leads since her shooting and it has been months now.

She looks up at Castle then, sees his distraught face and her heart aches. He looks like a kid, so lost and vulnerable and there is a hint of defeat in his posture. She knows exactly what he must be feeling right now, if him trying to avoid her gaze is anything to go by. She knows that he must be second guessing his move today. Fearing for himself and his fragile heart that he has overstepped and now she must think that it was all a mistake. Thinking about that and seeing him so clearly in anguish right now, just makes her want to wrap him up in her arms and never let go. She wants to kiss away the jagged pieces of his damaged soul that is all her doing. She knows, she is the reason that expression is on his handsome face right now.

Her eyes skitter across his face and then land on his neck. Even from where she's standing, she can clearly see the large hickey on his neck, blossoming to life. Her eyes grow wide with a sudden hunger for him, she knows she is shamelessly staring but isn't ashamed about it one bit. He has done his fair share of creeping staring for years. She can be forgiven for a few seconds of staring of her own. She knows she was trying to mark him, put some claim on his body, saying without words that he is hers and hers alone. However, she is keenly aware that he has, on many occasions, shown her, if not in words then through his actions that he is hers. It's just her lack of showing and telling that has him doubting his actions from earlier right now and she thinks that she needs to remedy that as soon as possible because this thing between them is too precious to break over her personal vendetta.

Maybe, they need to do this together and not be deprived of each others love until she finds justice for her mom. Maybe, she needs to step onto the bridge that he has been building between them and reach the other side to him. After that kiss, she isn't sure that she would survive going on alone, without his touch, again. She needs him with her, in every way possible and tonight, tonight, she will make sure that she lets him know. Let him show there can be an _Us_ and not just you and me.

Her mind made up, she straightens her back, clears her throat and then moves towards him.

Castle can feel a warm flush blossoming all across his face because Beckett has been staring at him for the last few minutes and it isn't an innocent stare either. He knows pretty well, just by looking at her, what she is thinking about. She has been staring, for quite some time, at the hickey that she left on his neck with her delicious, warm, talented mouth; isn't even ashamed in her blatant staring. He shifts uncomfortably on his feet, hasn't got an idea of what to do next. He is still shaken from the realization that he might have pushed her tonight. Though, the look she is giving him right now, doesn't quite corroborates his suspicion about it being a mistake. But he isn't entirely sure either, because she could just have been caught up in the moment, who knows exactly what she's thinking right now. Well, only one way to find out. He just has to find a way to talk to her, find out what it all meant to her? And if she wouldn't want to talk- well, then he'll get his answer. Loud and clear.

He starts to say something when he sees her saunter towards him. He holds his breath, isn't prepared for what might happen next; doesn't even know what he'll say to her. She isn't wearing an expression that says she regrets it and that in itself is a little comforting. Maybe, they do have a shot. Maybe, if he'll just apologize for his actions, not that he regrets it. No. He'll make sure he tells her that he didn't regret it, not a second of it. But that he regrets for not respecting her wish for waiting more.

While all these thoughts are running through his brain, she completely bypasses him, walks behind him instead and pets the dog. His heart sinks in his chest. She has her back towards him but he can tell that this is her way of telling him that the moment is over, that you should get going now and we should both pretend that this never happened like we always do.

He sighs, a deep, mournful sound, looks away to gather his thoughts and clamp down his emotions from bubbling up and choking him. He can do this. He will do this, because there isn't another option. He just have to play by her rules and maybe somebody, they will get to where he wants them to be; have a future together.

He hears a door closing with a resounding thud and looks back to see that she is gone. Both of them, in fact. Royal and Kate are nowhere to be seen.

Wow. Ok, so there goes his goodnight then. Did she just leave him standing in her apartment all alone? To what? To walk the dog so she could avoid him? Wow. That's just- she couldn't even tell him before leaving. He reckons that he should see himself out then. No need to prolong his misery by staying here any longer.

He shakes his head in defeat, bends down to pick up the discarded jacket off the floor and drapes it across his arm. He turns and is about to move towards the front door when it swings open and the woman in question, walks in – Royal-less. What?

"Where's Royal?" he blurts out. Curious now.

"I- uh.. left him with my neighbor, told her to watch him for the night." She looks at him, silently trying to convey the message with her eyes and through the hidden meaning behind those words.

"For the night?" he asks with confusion.

"If you don't want him for the night Beckett, I could take him back to my place. I mean, I thought you wanted him here," he supplies with confusion clear in his voice.

Beckett moves from where she has been rooted, near the door and makes her way past him and into the living room.

"I did. I just thought it would be best if he stays at the neighbor for a little while," he does get it this time round. A sharp burst of hope springs in his chest lets loose some of the weight that was crushing his heart. With tentative steps, he makes his way back and looks at her. She isn't looking at him but her body language isn't suggesting that she feels trapped or would run away any time soon. So he takes that as a positive sign.

"Kate?" he asks with a certain bit of hesitation evident in his tone.

"Would you like something to drink? Red wine?" she completely ignores his imploring tone and makes her way into the kitchen and takes down two wine glasses from the top shelf. Then she takes out a bottle of wine that has been cooling away in the refrigerator.

He sees that she is nervous. Her mind is ready for flight but she is trying hard to stay. This act in itself, makes him hopeful. He takes her actions as a sign for what they are; a way to show him that she is probably willing to talk.

She busies herself by pouring generous amounts of wine into their glasses. Looks up at him for affirmation if it's enough? He nods and she tops their glasses and sets the bottle down. She quickly grabs her glass and takes a generous sip, liking the way how the alcohol burns its way down her throat.

If they are going to talk about what happened, about _Them_, then she will definitely be needing all the liquid courage.

"Do you want to sit here or the couch?" she asks and he replies with his choice and they both move towards the couch with their glasses in hand.

She takes one corner of the couch and, much to her dismay, Castle sits at the opposite corner, leaving a huge gap between them. She would have liked it if he had sat a little nearer to her but then she needs the space to get through with this talk, and not have him near her to further upset her frayed nerves.

On the other side of the couch, Castle is relieved that he left this much space between them, because he can't trust himself around her right now. If he was any nearer, he would have wanted to touch her, maybe kiss her again. But no. This is not the way to proceed and he is sure to keep his hands to himself, not until he gets this thing out of the way. Clear things up with her, see where she stands and how she feels.

"So, how is your writing going? You already done with the next book?" she asks him by way of starting the conversation. She is extremely nervous right now.

Castle seems a little disappointed but doesn't let it show on his face. Yet he can't blame her because they are not good at this. The talking part.

"Are we really going for small talk here, Kate?" he asks with steel in his voice.

"No. Castle, I-" she fumbles.

"Kate, we kissed. Or more like made out, right here, in your living room and you want to talk about how my book is coming along?!" he gets the words out without choking once or tripping on his words. He pats himself on the shoulder for keeping his voice even and calm, because that is the farthest from what he is feeling right now. Despite of keeping his emotions and voice in control, a little indignation slips through.

"You don't think I know that?!" she fumes, all of a sudden.

"I know because I was there when you ambushed me," she looks straight into his eyes with so much intensity that he forgets to breathe for a moment.

Wait. Is that what she thinks? His earlier fears were evidently not far-fetched then. He ambushed her. Oh God. Did he force himself on her? He knows that she cares for him and maybe, she just got caught in the moment and let her guard down and went for it. But does that mean it was just a kiss for her because it was definitely more than a just a kiss for him.

This new knowledge suddenly makes it hard for him to breathe. He pales visibly and his hold on the glass shakes, so he places it safely on her coffee table. He closes his eyes and takes a few deep breaths, willing himself to not succumb to the despair and desolation that her statement has brought on to him.

When Beckett hears him speak about what just happened so clearly, she is kind of knocked off balance. She hears a slight desperation in his voice, knows that he is dying to find out what the kiss meant for her. But the way his voice showed hints of anger had her defenses rising up without permission. So, she did what she always does. She hit him back. For a second, she didn't realize what that statement sounded like but then she looked at him and the look he was giving her, all blanched face, his eyes brimming with so much pain.

She quickly went back over her words and the realization hit her like a tonne of bricks. Oh God, no. No, no she didn't mean it in that way. God, Castle.

"Kate.." he breathes out. So mournful and sad.

He looks at her with so much regret and sorrow on his face.

No, Castle. No.

"God.. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to force myself on you," he laments. His voice weak with emotion and eyes suspiciously shiny.

He swallows and shrinks further back in his corner, trying to put more distance between them, if that's even possible. He drops his elbows on his knees and places his face in his hands His posture full of shame and disgust. He continues mumbling, but she can't make out most of what he's saying, but she gets the ragged _I'm sorrys _and _what have I done _over and over again.

No. Enough. She wouldn't let him think that he forced himself on her. She was a willing participant, enjoyed it as much as he did, even more if that's possible. She needs to fix this mess she has made. Needs to fix it before it's too late because she can't let the man she loves think that he somehow pushed her into kissing him.

"Castle." she calls out to him from her side of the couch. She gets no answer in return, just another string of mumbled _I'm so sorrys_.

She puts her glass on the coffee table and then bridges the gap between them. She sits next to him, with her knees drawn up and over the couch, pushing into his left thigh where they make contact. He startles all of a sudden, but then burrows his face deeper in his palms. Unwilling to look at her.

"Rick. Look at me, please." She begs him to look at her. Her own pain for this man bleeding into her request.

The sound of his given name on her tongue, startles him out of his stupor. He looks up at her and finds her so close. She has her hand secured at his shoulder, lightly squeezing it. Her eyes are so full of pain and regret. He looks away then, can't seem to look at her.

"Hey. Look at me, please. Castle?" she starts again in a soothing tone.

He looks at her then, unwilling, but he looks at her. There is a small smile on her face. Why would she be smiling about this? But before he goes any further with his line of thought she interrupts him.

"Castle. No, I didn't mean it in that way. You certainly didn't force yourself on me. Never, not even for a second, think that way," she adds vehemently, with so much passion in her voice.

"You just caught me off-guard and you know me, I-" she closes her eyes. Feeling the weight of her words that she needs to set free. Ok Kate, just go for it.

"I'm sorry I let you feel like that because you know as well as I do, we both enjoyed it. I kissed you back, Rick. If I had felt trapped in any way, I would have easily pushed you away. You know I can." She adds with a little tinkle of laughter in her voice.

"God. How do I say this? Because you know me, I don't talk. I run, I hide. But Castle, I'm-" she stops herself. Her heart is pounding so hard in her chest that it feels like it might just break free.

Castle can see how much this is affecting her. But he also knows that if he interrupts her now, then she might lose the courage to finish what she started off to say. So, he tamps down his needs to push and waits her out. Now that he knows that it wasn't a mistake or that she doesn't have any regrets for what happened, he can wait for her to gather her courage and speak again. He will wait.

"What I'm trying to say is that I'm tired," she supplies with a loud, exasperated sigh.

His brow furrows with confusion. What is she tired about? He squeezes her hand that somehow ended up on his thigh with his own and encourages her to go on.

"Do you remember, when I came to your book signing, I said something to you on those swings that day?" she adds, while looking into his eyes to convey what she wants to say.

He swallows, the bitter memory of that day, suddenly coming back to him. How he had been sitting there, signing books, just getting through the motions, completely devastated inside, because the woman he loved was out there somewhere and he had no idea where or how she was. Was she still with Josh? Did she blame him for getting shot, for getting Montgomery killed? All those questions had taunted him ever since her shooting. With the memory of that day, comes the flood of memories from those three months that he waited like a fool for her phone call.

He is suddenly broken out of his reverie, when she lightly calls out his name.

"I remember." he says, voice hoarse with so much emotion.

She can see that the mention of that day must have brought other, more hurtful memories at the forefront of his mind. Maybe, what she'll have to say now, will act as a balm to sooth the hurt that she had caused him in the past when she promised to call him but never did.

"I told you that day that until I figure out who had my mom killed, until I find justice for her, until I solve her case, I can't have the kind of relationship that I want," she stops there, looks at him to make sure he is listening. He gives her a tight-lipped nod in return and she continues.

When she mentions that, he suddenly feels he knows what might come next. She will ask him that she's not there yet and until they don't solve this case, put it behind them, this thing between them will have to be boxed away for later.

"But lately, I have been thinking that maybe, maybe I don't have to do one thing while deprive myself from the other." She adds, so much meaning hidden behind those words.

He forgets how to breathe at that. Just when he thought, she was going to tell him that her mom's murder is her first priority, she goes and tilts his world upside down with her admission. Although, he won't read much into it, unless she spells it out for him, word for word. No, he needs to hear what she actually means by that because he can't deal with false hope right now. So he musters up all the courage he's got and turns on his spot, knees bumping knees and faces her completely.

"What are you trying to say Kate?" he whispers, his voice bleeding with so much hope. He is looking at her with wide eyes, vulnerability evident in them. He goes for her left hand with his right and gives it another squeeze. Encouraging her to continue.

"Wh- What I'm trying to say here is-," she fumbles over her words. She's scared, she's absolutely scared. But she swallows thickly, gives his hand an answering squeeze, closes her eyes to calm her beating heart, takes long slow breaths and then opens her eyes.

"Yeah?" he nudges her to go ahead.

Castle can see that she is having some kind of an internal battle when she squeezes his hand and her eyes slip closed. But he waits her out, her hand warm in his, he swipes his thumb across her knuckles in an act he thinks is reassuring for her. He sees her take in long, slow breaths and then he can see the change, even before she opens are eyes. Her eyes, when they open, are sharp and clear, with no shadow of doubt or nervousness left in those green depths.

"Rick, I'm saying, I don't want to wait anymore," with those whispered words, she is on him in seconds before he has time to recover from her words.

* * *

**A/N: Thank you so much for the lovely reviews so far :) The next chapter is going to venture into the M territory ;) More reviews are welcomed because what you guys have to say really gives me that boost and encouragement to write more. **

**M**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: So, apparently, there was some trouble with the latest chapter, it wasn't visible, even though it was successfully upload. So, I went back, deleted it and then uploaded it again. I hope the problem is fixed now. **

**Enjoy :)**

* * *

She surges forward and fuses her mouth to his. Her sudden assault causes him to gasp out in surprise and she wastes no time and plunges her tongue inside the warm cove of his mouth. His hands instinctively secure themselves around her hips, holding her close. The feel of her tongue sending electricity zapping through his blood.

"Mmm..." she hums into his mouth and cups his face between her hands, her thumb rubbing soothingly at the hard line of his jaw.

The play of her tongue along his, makes him get over his shock quickly and he participates fully in the heated kiss that she is demanding out of him; eagerly sipping from his mouth. But he knows that they need to talk first before they get lost in each other. So, after a few more seconds, or was it minutes, he grabs her shoulders and holds her back a bit, breaking the seal of their lips with a loud, wet pop.

She is slightly confused but more frustrated when he pushes her back, her hands going straight for his shirt and she grabs fistfuls to keep him close; not ready to be pushed away. But then his hands are cupping her face and he breathes out her name in supplication. Her eyes slam shut at the sound of her name which is dripping with so much need and longing.

She moans out his name in response, bats his hands away and holding onto his shoulders, she gracefully climbs into his lap and maneuvers her legs to bracket his hips. The first contact of her in his lap has both of them groaning softly. She looks into his eyes, silently letting him know without words what she wants. She goes in to reattach their lips when he speaks again.

"Kate, wait. We uh- we need to talk first," he rasps out. The truth is, he wanted to talk first but that was before she was sitting in his lap and was staring at him with molten eyes, shining with so much desire and dare he call it _Love_. The thought makes his throat go dry.

"We need to talk about what we want, think about this, about _Us," _he adds, his voice more steady now.

She regards him for a few seconds, sees that he is still struggling, he's always valued the words more than actions. He is a writer, of course, he would want words. So, she smiles at him, moves in and peppers kisses along his jaw, all the while, keeping a strong hold on the back of his neck, keeping him in place.

"I know what I want," she breathes out the words over his heated, feverish skin. He reverently places his hands at her sides and glides them up and holds the back of her neck.

"And what do you want, Kate?" he adds, hope and a touch of fear evident in the strain of his voice.

She nips the side of his neck then laves the spot with her tongue. Her right hand skates down his chest and lands right over his heart, which she can feel is pumping furiously. She detaches her mouth from his skin and looks squarely into the blue of his eyes and whispers the one word that leaves him decimated in its wake.

"You." and then she kisses him hard for equal measure, letting him know that he is all she wants and needs right now in this very moment.

She is still kissing him furiously, the hard press of her mouth against his a welcome sensation, when he mumbles.

"Are you-," but the rest of his sentence ends up in a choked sob because she bites his neck, right where she left a hickey and grinds her hips into his, telling him that he needs to stop talking. Now.

His head thumps heavily at the back of the couch, the delicious pressure of her in his lap is doing wonders. She is looking at him with dark and feral eyes, like he is the most delicious dessert and she can't wait to devour him whole. She challenges him to ask more questions with the quirk of her eyebrow. He just smiles at her and she can't help but return his smile. But then he grabs her hips tight, and rocks into her. The smile quickly wipes off her face and she clutches his shoulders with her eyes screwed shut.

He chuckles darkly and does it again, until she lets out a sound that verges on a sob and rests her forehead on his shoulder.

"Do that again," she murmurs her request into his shoulder and when he complies she bites his shoulder, enjoying the feel of his erection pressing into her through the confines of both their jeans.

After a few more jerks of his hips into hers, she scoots back on his thighs. She moves her trembling hands towards his collar and with nimble fingers, pops the first button open. She sees his Adam's apple bobbing up and down in nervousness, as he swallows thickly. She takes slight comfort in the fact that this is equally affecting his nerves as it is affecting hers.

The open button reveals a new patch of skin that looks so enticing that she finds herself gravitating towards it with her open mouth and lays a wet kiss where his shirt parts. He shudders and clutches her waist even tighter. Beckett kisses her way down his chest, humming all the while as she makes her descent, as she opens the buttons of his shirt. When she successfully opens the last button, she sits back and parts his shirt fully, greedily taking in all the skin that is unveiled to her hungry eyes.

She licks her lips and smooths her hands up and down his chest. Castle's head drops back and he looks at her with half-lidded eyes, enjoying the feel of her hands on his heated skin. A few seconds later, she slides the shirt of his shoulders and then tosses the offending garment behind her. She quickly moves in and starts peppering his neck, then moves down to his collarbones, where she adds in a few bites that has him squirming. She moves down and lays a sweet kiss right over his heart and then latches onto his nipple.

He jerks suddenly with the sensation of her hot, wet mouth on his nipple. His right hand comes up and holds the back of her skull, not confining her but just holding her. He strokes his thumb across her cheek and he can feel her hollowing out her cheeks as she sucks on his nipple. Hard. The image sends his mind spiraling when he thinks of her hollowing her cheeks out in a completely different position. The dangerous thought comes to an abrupt stop when she adds her teeth to the mix and he moans out her name. She just laughs, a dark sound that goes straight to his groin and then with a final closed lip kiss to his nipple she moves across to the other side to pay equal attention to its twin.

After laving attention to both his nipples, she moves up and attaches her lips to his again. She groans out in pleasure as soon as their tongues meet in a dance that they seem to have perfected to an art form in such a small time.

She swirls her tongue around his thick, hot one and then sucks on it and before letting it go she nips it and bites his top lip and suckles on it softly. They just stay like this, lightly grinding into each other, sharing open-mouthed kisses.

Soon, Castle's hand skirts the hem of her top and he leaves her mouth and kisses down the long column of her throat.

"You're overdressed," he mumbles into her skin while lavishing her throat with sucking kisses.

"Well, who's fault is that?" she looks at him, challenging him with a wicked smile on her face while she arches her eyebrow in question.

Without preamble, he lifts the hem of her top and takes it off her in one quick move and deposits it on the floor, where his own shirt is lying in a puddle, leaving her sitting in his lap with only her bra and jeans. He takes his time, absorbing every last inch of her naked skin at display, all the while running his hands up and down the small of her back.

He casts his eyes across her face, down to the ivory column of her throat, and then his eyes land on the twin, round mounds of her breasts, which are spilling out of the scalloped cups of her bra. She is covered in a thin sheen of sweat, glistening and gorgeous.

His eyes soon land on the spot between her breasts and his breathing comes to a halt and his eyes widen.

She can tell that his eyes have landed on the tiny scar between her breasts, because all of a sudden all the hunger and desire is leeched out of his eyes, replaced by sadness and guilt. His features morph into an expression that reflects pure agony and she knows that he is replaying the events of that fateful day in his mind. The day when he almost lost her, the day he confessed her love to her when she bled out on the grass.

No. She thinks to herself that she won't let the memory of that day mar the beauty of this moment. She will not let him being sucked into the awful memories of that day. She needs to remind him that they both survived and are here. Now. In this moment. Together.

She takes his right hand and places it on top of her scar, trying to meet his eyes but he refuses to look at her. His entire focus is on the scar as he rubs it reverently with his fingers.

His eyes glisten in her dimly lit apartment. He wills himself not to let his tears overflow, tries to tamp down his emotions from choking him up but he just can't get the image out of his head. The image of him desperately spilling his heart out to her while hers leaked out onto the grass.

Not a day has gone by ever since, when he doesn't think about that day. How things would have turned out if he had gotten to her in time, if that bullet hadn't pierced through her heart. He berates himself for not being fast enough, every single time he wakes up from a nightmare, where he sees her die in his arms. He wishes it was him who had taken the bullet instead of her. Better him than her.

He is jolted out of his musing when he hears her call out to him. When he looks up at her, the pain of that day is mirrored in her eyes and he wishes he could take that away from her. Take those memories away from her, protect her from her own nightmares.

"Hey. I'm here. I'm fine," she touches his hand, which is still stroking her scar. "I'm alive. We got through it and look, we are here." He lets out a choked sob and she hugs him to her chest. Sliding her fingers through his hair, scratching his scalp, trying to sooth his agony and pain.

"Shh.. Shh.. Hey, it's okay. Hmm? Rick. I'm okay," she kisses his forehead. "Enough. I'm right here."

He releases a stuttering sigh and holds her tight. He nuzzles her chest and breathes in. The scent of her and her soothing words calm him down and slowly his breathing gets back to normal. Once he feels he has his emotions under control, he breaks the embrace and looks into her eyes with a smile. She smiles back.

He brings her closer then, his hands spanning the entirety of her slim waist and kisses her with so much tenderness that has her releasing a sigh. As soon as she opens her mouth wide, he glides his tongue wetly across her lips and into the warm cavern of her mouth.

She gets lost in the feeling of his tongue against her, his taste and his scent. She has her right arm banded across his shoulders, while her left hand is clamped tight around his nape. Not willing to let him go, keeping him in place, kissing him with abandon.

His hands take a trip up the curve of her spine and he cups her shoulders lightly. He glides the strap of her bra from her right shoulder. He looks straight into her eyes, all dazed and glassy with arousal and then kisses the smooth, unhindered skin of her shoulder. He repeats the same action on her left shoulder and then lavishes attention to her collarbones.

He moves back then and reaches behind her to get to the clasp of her bra. He looks at her, asking for permission and she smiles shyly and nods are assent.

He unhooks her bra and then removes it completely. His breathing gets heavy when she spills out of the cups of her bra. Her breasts, small and pert; nipples, rosy and dark.

She is thrumming with so much need that leaves her breathless in its wake. The way he is devouring her with his eyes, makes her ache for his touch. As soon as the thought entered her brain, he has her cupped in his palms. She hisses in pleasure and he just moans out loud and breathes out her name in awe. He kneads her breasts, feels the perfect weight of them in his hands and then takes her nipples between his forefingers and thumbs and tugs lightly.

"Ahh," she lets out a small gasp and holds onto his forearms for support. Loving the texture of his fine hair sprinkled across his arms.

He continues playing with her breasts and when she couldn't take it any longer, she lets out a hoarse whisper, "Castle, please." She breaths out his name in a request and rises on her knees and offers herself to his mouth.

Not one to deny her anything, he snakes his tongue out and lightly touches the tip of her nipple. She clutches the back of his skull and keeps him close to her chest, demanding more.

He swirls his tongue around her aureola and blows on it.

"Oh God," she sighs. The little nub quickly stands to attention under his ministrations. He kisses every single inch of her mound and then takes her nipple into his hot mouth, all the while, giving attention to her other breast with his hand. She gasps out a loud _Yes _and throws her head back in pleasure, loving the leisurely way he suckles her nipple.

He releases her nipple and moves across her chest, lays a sweet kiss on her scar and then tongues her left nipple and sucks on it. Hard. She whimpers loudly and he tugs on her sweet bud with his teeth, whispering a litany of _Kate Kate Kate _into her skin. She is vibrating with need and if they don't hurry up any faster, she is sure that she'll just explode. Her blood is sizzling with the electricity that is zipping through her and she wants nothing more than to get him naked and have him inside her.

She has the side of his face cupped in her hand, while her right hand slithers down his chest and without any warning she cups him through his jeans and squeezes him. He chokes out her name and leaves her nipple, wet and straining as the cool air hits it. He rests his forehead between her breasts while she touches him with clever, nimble fingers.

"I want these off," she squeezes again. "Now."

She quickly scrambles off his lap and stands, while he unbuttons his jeans and she eases down both the jeans and boxers in one go, making sure to scrape her nails over the top of his thighs, leaving him completely bare beneath her. His erection stands to attention, reaching his navel; head glistening and she wants nothing more than to put her mouth on him and taste him.

She sees the hunger in her eyes reflected back in his and he inches towards the edge of the couch. He urges her to stand in the vee of his legs so that he could reach the button on her jeans. She complies and steps closer to him. He smatters soft kisses across her toned stomach and noses her navel and then nips the outside with his teeth. She groans and clamps her hands down hard on his shoulders. He looks up at her and sees her looking down at him. Her breathing harsh, mouth parted, lips glistening and swollen from all the kissing, her breasts pert and ripe and swaying back and forth as her chest rises and falls with every single breath she takes.

She makes quite a picture, all soft curves and wanton with need. He breathes hotly over her navel and then laves the inside with his tongue, swirling it around, making her squirm and mewl in need.

He pops open the button of her jeans and uses the tab to drag the slider down, making sure to put extra pressure, just where she wants it the most. The teeth part as the slider moves lower and finally he has her jeans unzipped. He slides her jeans down her toned, mile long legs, purposefully scratching the back of her thighs with his nails and when he hears her hiss, he smiles in victory.

Once he has her out of her jeans, which wasn't an easy task, although, thoroughly enjoyable. He takes off her socks for her and brings her back towards him, making her step again between the vee of his legs.

She is wearing black lace. His fingers gravitate towards the edge of the lace, stretched snugly across her hips. He thumbs the edge of her panties and drags it away from her skin and then releases it back in place. He brings her even closer, if that's even possible, using his hands and splaying them at her taut, lace-clad ass. He drags his nose across her crotch and then takes a long sniff.

She is covered in goosebumps at this point, with his slow perusal of her body and she isn't sure how long she can keep herself upright. She just holds on tight and hopes that her knees won't give out.

Her scent is so intoxicating, like a drug. He is the addict and she is his drug. Not being able to wait any longer, he drags the scrap of lace down her legs, leaving her completely bare from head to toe. Her smell is assaulting his senses and her core is calling out to her.

His right hand slides behind her left knee and eases it upward until her foot is resting on the couch, opening her up to him. He can see her neatly trimmed curls, slightly damp with her arousal. Her thighs are glistening with it as well and he sees her core weeping with need as he stares at her.

She can barely breathe at this moment, her lungs are on fire, heart beating wildly and all her senses are in overdrive. He is looking at her like a thirsty man who has found oasis in the desert and can't wait to quench his thirst with a long drink. She thinks she won't be able to last long if he puts his mouth on her right now. But still she finds herself, cupping the back of his head with both hands and canting her hips forward, offering herself to him so he could drink from her, never wanting to deny this man from anything.

Using both his hands, he thumbs her folds apart, revealing the hard bundle of nerves which he quickly laves with his tongue. She lets out a loud cry as soon as his mouth touches her. He moves down and swipes his tongue along her opening up towards her clit, gathering all her thick juices greedily. He feels lightheaded with the taste of her, so dark and tangy. He groans his approval and the vibrations of the sound sends shivers up her spine and deep into her core.

He has his hands on her ass, kneading the muscles, coaxing her body into motion, which has her hips rolling into tight little circles against his mouth. He drags the finger of his right hand between her cheeks, feeling the slippery wet heat between them.

"Oh God. Ahh..." she cries out, moving faster against his mouth, needing to feel the pressure at just the right spots.

He doubles his efforts, flexes his tongue and pushes it at her opening. A sob leaves her mouth and he leaves her opening and placing wet kisses across her folds. He closes his lips around her clit and sucks hard, which has her thrashing up around him. Her knuckles turn white, her hold tight at his shoulders, her nails digging into his flesh and he is sure that she's going to leave marks but isn't the least bit worried, happy to be marked by Kate Beckett.

She is crying loudly now, barely holding on. Her head is tilted back, mouth open wide, eyes screwed shut and she is teetering at the edge, ready to fall off and into the sea of oblivion.

Castle knows that she is close, very close because she is dripping a lot; more than before and he hungrily laps at her and then he lightly nips at her clit which has her soaring off the edge.

She sees fireworks burst behind her closed eyelids, and her whole body convulses with the impact of her orgasm. She lets out the loudest cry yet, which reverberates all around the empty apartment, the sound drawing out a loud groan from him. The sound of his groan, sends shivers down to her core, which further doubles the intensity of her orgasm. Beneath her, Castle is lapping at every last drop of her essence that comes seeping out of her, milking her clean and wiping every last drop with his tongue.

She collapses into his lap, her head resting in the crook of his neck, sobbing quietly into his sweaty, heated skin. He holds her through the aftershocks of her orgasm and smooths his hand up and down the ladder of her spine, trying to sooth her with his touch, all the while, whispering nonsensical words of endearment into her temple.

After a while, when her breathing is back to normal, she lifts her head from its resting place and finds his lips. She groans when their lips meet because she can taste herself on him. She licks his lips clean off her essence, dragging her teeth across his bottom lip and then biting his top lip.

They kiss like that for a while, but then she scoots back on his thighs and grabs his erection in her palm. He groans and leans back against the couch, the heat of her hand on him, burning him. She touches him with so much care, loving the feel of his silky smooth skin under her fingers. She runs her fingers along the large vein that runs along his shaft. He is thick, hot and pulsing in her hand and she can't help but to press her thumb onto his tip, smearing his juices across his head.

After a few more pumps of her hand, she lifts on top of her knees and positions him at her entrance and without preamble sinks down onto him, impaling herself on his impressive length. His eyes widen in surprise and then slam shut with the sensation of her surrounding him. She fits him so snugly, like a glove and she is so tight and wet around him. So perfect.

They both groan out in pleasure, their foreheads touching, while they stare at the place where they are joined, intimately.

They breathe harshly. In and out. In and out. He keeps her in place, not letting her move just yet. Savoring the feel of her around him. She tries to move but he keeps her still, afraid that if she moves he might come there and then, embarrassing himself. But after a while, he hears a mewling sound and looks into her eyes.

"Please, Rick. I need to move," she rasps out. Her breath falling hotly across his lips, her mouth open at his cheek and he nods, quick little jerks of his head and then kisses her while she starts moving on top of him.

She holds the back of her couch for support and then lifts completely off him, leaving only the tip of him inside her and then sinks back down, adding a little roll at the end. They soon establish a rhythm, the room fills with the symphony of their strangled moans and gasps and the lewd, wet sound of their lower halves joining. Again and again.

Her hands are secured at the back of the couch, which leaves her breasts flaunting enticingly in front of his face. Castle wastes no time and quickly takes her nipple in his mouth and sucks hard. She gasps and increases her speed, rocks harder into him. While he's paying attention to her breasts, he snakes a hand down, towards the place where they are joined and starts rubbing tight, little circles around her swollen clit. She lets out a strangled sob, grabbing his hand and keeping it in place, while rolling more vigorously into him.

His mouth is still attached to her nipple and every jerk of her body has her nipple tugged more tightly by his mouth. The pain shoots straight down to her core and she cries out.

"Please," she groans out. Her voice hoarse with all the screaming and begs him to make her come fast.

He complies and rubs furiously at her clit and latches onto the side of her neck. He can feel the sounds she is making at the back of her throat and the feeling of her throat working under his mouth has him reaching the end faster.

"Kate?" he holds the back of her neck, her bun almost ruined and her hair is a disheveled mess.

He brings her mouth down to his and kisses her hard. "Are you-," he breathes the words into her mouth, licking her tongue as she opens her mouth to plunge her tongue into his mouth.

"Yeah," she groans. "God, I'm so close. Just... more, please. Harder." She puts her hands behind her, on top of his thighs and rides him harder.

He grabs a hold of her hips, brings himself out of her completely and then slams her down onto him, while pressing his thumb down onto her clit. Hard.

She comes instantly, with a loud, harsh scream. Her walls flutter wildly and her inner muscles clench him so tightly that he sees stars burst behind his close eyelids. He comes moments after her and spills inside her.

She falls onto his chest and he welcomes her into his embrace. They are both shivering with the aftershocks of their orgasms, their hips stilling rocking into each other, giving each other that added pressure they both need to ride off their orgasms.

After a while, she lifts her hips and lets him slide out of her, whimpering at the loss of him. She buries her face in the crook of his neck and laps at the sweat that's beading across his throat. He groans and brings his lips down on hers and kisses her deeply, languidly. She opens to him quickly, letting her tongue come out and play with his. She nips the tip of his tongue and he groans, and she lets out a little laugh and kisses him fully on the lips. The sound of her laugh makes him open his eyes and look down at her. Her eyes are still closed but she has a huge smile on her face as she snuggles closer to him.

_Mmm.. Kate Beckett likes to snuggle after sex. Good to know. _He thinks with a smile on his face. He brings his hand up and takes the pins out of her hair, so that her hair falls down her shoulders. He cards his fingers through her hair, loving the silky texture against his fingers and lightly scratches her scalp, which has her purring into him as she opens her mouth and lets out a quiet moan. He wastes no time and quickly strokes the inside of her mouth with his tongue, enjoying her hum of pleasure that reverberates between their fused mouth.

He moves back after a few seconds and their mouths part with a wet pop. He opens his eyes and she is still smiling, the I-just-got-laid smile. She's adorable after sex, all soft curves and warm skin, so pliant in his arms, like putty in his hands.

He holds the back of her neck and light touches her bottom lip with his thumb.

"What's got you all smiling?" he asks with a hint of amusement in his voice. He nudges her nose playfully and nips the tip.

She lets out a surprised squeal and then melts back into his embrace. "Hmm... because I am happy," she supplies with a wink. She smooths her left hand up and down the skin of his quickly cooling chest.

"A fantasy of yours just come true, I suppose?" he quirks his eyebrow, reveling in the fact that he feels so light right now, with the woman of his dreams in his arms, who is smiling up at him, a soft expression adorning her face. His chest swells in pride when he thinks that he is the man who is responsible for putting that happy smile on her lips.

"Yes," she purrs. He knows that she doesn't know that she just let that slip out. Her brain-to-mouth filter non-existent at the moment, which further puts a dopey smile on his face. Loving this side of her.

"Anymore of your fantasies that I could help you fulfill?" he murmurs, while pressing his smile into her forehead.

"Mm-hmm," she mumbles into his cheek and peppers the edge of his jaw, loving the rasp of his stubble against her lips.

"Why Detective Beckett, have you thought of having your wicked way with me on this couch before?" he drawls out the words, all dripping sex and deep baritone that has her pressing her thighs tight.

She remains quiet and lets him talk while she kisses across his skin, loving the smell of him – all musk, man and sex, with a lingering hint of his cologne. She groans and opens her mouth over his collarbones and she realizes that he is still chatting away. She bites down slowly and hums quietly and his talking stops, his breathing picks up speed and he fumbles with his next words. She smiles deviously and resumes her kissing across his collarbones. She hears him groan out her name when shes places scorching, wet kiss all over his pectoral.

He swallows thickly and opens his mouth but then her slim digit is pressed against his slightly parted mouth and she shushes him. She sits upright into his lap, hissing at the friction and then looks straight into his eyes, all feral and hungry. She thrusts lightly into him and then brings their mouths close and breathes out her request against his glistening lips. Her tone leaving no room for argument.

"I need you in my bed."


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I am so sorry for such a delayed post. Life got in the way and I had no choice. Hopefully, you guys haven't lost interest in this story because there are still 2-3 more chapters to go. For those who will read this – thank you so much for your patience :) I promise the next chapter will be up soon.**

**M.**

* * *

_Previously..._

"_Anymore of your fantasies that I could help you fulfill?" he murmurs, while pressing his smile into her forehead. _

"_Mm-hmm," she mumbles into his cheek and peppers the edge of his jaw, loving the rasp of his stubble against her lips. _

"_Why Detective Beckett, have you thought of having your wicked way with me on this couch before?" he drawls out the words, all dripping sex and deep baritone that has her pressing her thighs tight. _

_She remains quiet and lets him talk while she kisses across his skin, loving the smell of him – all musk, man and sex, with a lingering hint of his cologne. She groans and opens her mouth over his collarbones and she realizes that he is still chatting away. She bites down slowly and hums quietly and his talking stops, his breathing picks up speed and he fumbles with his next words. She smiles deviously and resumes her kissing across his collarbones. She hears him groan out her name when shes places scorching, wet kiss all over his pectoral. _

_He swallows thickly and opens his mouth but then her slim digit is pressed against his slightly parted mouth and she shushes him. She sits upright into his lap, hissing at the friction and then looks straight into his eyes, all feral and hungry. She thrusts lightly into him and then brings their mouths close and breathes out her request against his glistening lips. Her tone leaving no room for argument. _

"_I need you in my bed."_

As soon as those words are out of her mouth, her stomach lets out a loud growl. Her eyes grow wide in shock and then crinkle with mirth as she lets out a giggle, trying her best to contain the sound with the back of her hand pressed against her mouth. She snuggles closer, still laughing and rests her forehead against the rapidly cooling skin of his shoulder.

Castle wraps her tight in his embrace, letting her happiness infuse into his entire being. "Maybe we should put some food in our tummies first, before you know..." he leaves it at that and wriggles his eyebrows in a suggestive manner, which lets out another laugh from her. "Don't want you dozing off on me while I ravage your body." He swipes his thumb across her left nipple for extra emphasis and she shudders in his lap.

She looks at him, a pensive look on her face with a hint of amusement flirting at the edges of her mouth. "Hmm... we wouldn't want that now, would we?" she strokes the side of his face, loving the scratch of his stubble against her fingertips. "Wouldn't want to bruise that _big___ego of yours." Her tone all breathy and seductive as her hand takes a lazy journey down the side of his neck, her nails added to the mix, her eyes all hungry with need as they follow the path her hand takes.

He swallows thickly as he feels her hand stop right below his navel, where she swipes her thumb back and forth, back and forth. She shifts and he sees her hand going further down, knowing exactly well what she has in mind. But before her hand could reach its intended target, he grabs her wrist tightly in his hand and brings it away from his body. "Kate. If you don't stop this we won't be stopping for food." He looks into her eyes, trying to convey the seriousness behind his words. "And trust me, we need sustenance because if we don't stop now and we go into your bedroom, I won't be letting you out anytime soon." His words sends warmth pooling low in her belly and her blood sizzles with anticipation of what the night has in store for her.

The rational side of her brain knows that she should listen to what her body is telling her, but her heart wants nothing more than to take him into her bedroom and spend the rest of the night between the sheets, exploring each others bodies at length.

"Please, let me be a gentleman and feed you first," he smirks down at her and tugs at her earlobe.

"What if I don't want you to be a gentleman." Her words ring out in the stillness of her apartment, making his mouth go dry with the insinuation. "Maybe I want to skip right to the dessert." His manhood throbs at her words and he grabs her ass roughly and gives it a generous squeeze. "Mmm... Yes!" she sighs and throws her head back in pleasure. The arousal piercing through her like an arrow.

The hand that was squeezing her ass takes a journey upwards and cups her left breast and pinches her nipple. Hard. "God..." she hisses and is about to suggest that they really need to move to the bedroom when her stomach lets out another growl. Louder this time.

They both stop at that and stare at each other for a second or two and then burst out into a huge laugh. After a while, when their laughter subsides, he nudges her off his lap and she complies. She bends down and with all the grace in the world, scoops up his discarded shirt off the floor and puts it on. Putting on an extra show just to have him drooling.

Castle is still sitting on her couch, stark naked, staring at her with something like awe in his eyes.

She looks back and as expected, finds his mouth hanging open in surprise with his eyes roving all over her body. She smirks and scoops up his boxers off the floor and tosses them at him with a laugh, breaking him out of his stupor and heads off towards her bedroom, shouting over her shoulder for him to order something while she freshens up a bit.

He recovers quickly, gets up and quickly pulls his boxers on. He does a quick sweep of the room, sees his discarded jacket on the floor, next to his jeans. He fishes his phone out of the back pocket of his jeans and brings it to life.

"Kate?" he calls out. "Yeah?" comes her echoed reply from what appears to be her bathroom.

"What are you in the mood for?" he says while looking around for the first time - feeling that now he is allowed to look in detail at all the little knick-knacks that are scattered all over her apartment, telling tales of her life that has been kept hidden away from him. His slow perusal of the various ornaments that adorn her living draws him towards a small, Egyptian handblown glass elephant with intricate gold embellishment. His feet take him towards it without a second thought, impatient to appreciate the beauty of this tiny piece of decoration that belongs to Kate. He raises his hand to touch the little ornament when her voice breaks through the silence.

"You."

His hand stops mid-air and he whirls on his spot and looks in the general direction of her bedroom. "Kate.." his voice holds a touch of warning and pleading. In response, he hears her breathy _Ha _from her bedroom and he grumbles under his breath. _Evil woman._

"I'm getting Chinese," he tells her while he waits for his call to connect.

After placing the order, he makes his way towards her kitchen, hoping to find something to drink with their dinner. He opens the refrigerator and sees an open bottle of Merlot, which reminds him about the hardly touched wine glasses that lie abandoned on her coffee table. He thinks they might as well drink that up, if Kate doesn't mind – even though he would like his wine chilled.

He's still standing in front of the open refrigerator when Kate emerges from her bedroom. Her bare feet doesn't give her away and so she stands at a distance to admire her partner's form. She smiles inwardly when she sees that he is only in his boxers and nothing else – well, not that it's his fault really. She did deliberately put on his shirt so that he wouldn't have anything to put on himself, which meant she had free access to roam her greedy eyes all over his naked torso. Yes, a purely strategic move.

She notices then that he is standing stock-still in front of the open refrigerator with an expression of deep concentration.

Quietly, she pads across the hardwood floor. "Hey," as soon as she reaches his side, she skates her palm along his forearm and gives his bicep a squeeze. "Everything ok?" she looks inside the open refrigerator and then back at him.

He smiles and closes the refrigerator, a little too forcefully that has him apologizing. She just shrugs him off and loops her hands behind his neck, urging him to slide closer to her.

"Food will be here soon," he whispers. He rakes his eyes all over her, she has let her hair down. As much as he loves those intricate buns, he loves her even more with her hair down. He had always wanted to run his hands through those soft tresses and now thinking that he actually can has him smiling down at her with pure adoration in his eyes.

She arches her eyebrow in question but he just shrugs her off and slides his hand into her long, thick locks, loving the feel of them sliding delicately through his fingers. He tries to smooth out the tangles that she must have missed and then lightly massages her scalp.

Beckett's eyes flutter close on a deep groan and she rests her head down on his chest; moving her hands down and loops them at his waist – holding him in a tight embrace, while he keeps applying slight pressure on her scalp.

She lets out a long, deep exhale. Her warm breathe fanning out across his chest, sending shivers across his body. She notices the shudder and presses her lips where she is nuzzling his chest – absolutely loving how she fits in his arms – slotting like two pieces of puzzle. He holds her a little tighter, now that she is without her power heels, the height difference allows him to rest his chin on top of her head.

They hold each other for what seems like ages, swaying on their spot, humming with contentment.

"This is nice," she whispers. His embrace a safe haven, which leaves her with a feeling of serenity and something else – something that feels like _Home. _She smiles at the thought. He's always been her safe haven, the only person she can implicitly rely on, her friend, her partner and now her lover.

She is shaken out of her inner musings as she hears his deep, rumbling whisper - "I've wanted this for so long. Just being with you. To hold you." He sighs, and she squeezes his waist in encouragement, willing him to continue. "You always hold yourself back, always keep your emotions in check, you always put on a brave face, never showing an ounce of vulnerability. And I admire that about you, I really do, because I think all this strength that you possess makes you extraordinary." He swallows. "But sometimes, I wishes that you would let me in, let me share some of the burden that you feel only you have to carry, allow me to just be there for you."

He steps back from her embrace and looks down into her eyes with an expression, almost unfathomable but she has had glimpses of it before, when he thought she didn't notice, she knows this expression – it's just something more stronger, a lot more deeper in this very moment and he is letting her see it all on his face.

"I hope, now that we have finally taken that next step that you finally open up to me and let me be there for you when things get tough. Let me comfort you, soothe your pain in every way possible because I will Kate, I will do anything in my power to keep you happy, to keep you safe, to keep your heart safe." He closes his eyes and thinks now is the time to just let it all out, tell her how much he loves her and that he'll do anything to be there for her for the rest of his life, if only she'll let him.

He musters up all the courage he has been storing away for the last couple of months, ever since her shooting and her claims of not remembering his confession of love to her. He has been stowing away enough courage, every single day, to finally let her know, without the threat of death looming over their heads, to finally make her see how much she means to him and how much he loves her.

He opens his eyes and she sees that they are a lot more clearer now, brimming with determination and dare she call it love. Her heart starts thumping wildly in her chest, like a bird in a cage, struggling to be set free. She swallows thickly, not sure whether she is ready to hear his confession. Unsure of what she'll say once he declares his love to her once again. It's not a question of whether she loves him or not – she does, without any doubt and with all of her heart and the entirety of her being. She loves this man like she has never loved another man before. But she is not sure that she's ready yet to admit that. Maybe to herself but not to him. She needs time, she'll tell him but she needs time.

"Kate," he breathes out her name like a prayer. His voice quivers a little, she notices. His nervousness evident in his voice. "I wanted to tell you that I lo..." the rest of his sentence is halted at the sound of the doorbell ringing. They both startle and step out of their embrace, both wearing an expression of surprise. Castle looks a little disappointed by the intrusion.

"I think that's our food," Beckett says, her voice low and scratchy. She clears her throat and gestures for him to go get their food. Welcoming the idea of a moment alone, so she can get her racing heart and raging emotions under control.

By the time he gets back with their food, his expression seems more relaxed and he is even sporting a small smile. She seems happy at the sudden change, because she prefers him better like this and not the forlorn look he had on when they got interrupted.

He waggles the bag in front of her, as he reaches the kitchen, and then deposits it on the counter.

She's in the process of opening the cartons of food when he moves behind her and casually slides his arm along her belly, securing him in place, trapping her between the solid wall of his chest and the kitchen island.

She fumbles with the carton and closes her eyes on a moan when she feels him delicately shifting her hair from one shoulder to another, exposing the long, delicate column of her neck for his soft and warm lips. He latches on to her neck and applies gentle suction, which has her grabbing onto the granite top of the counter.

"So, I was thinking..." he starts the sentence but then leaves it mid-thought in favor of laving extra attention to the sensitive outer shell of her ear. He nips it lightly and then soothes the sting with his tongue, barely poking out between his lips.

"Mmm?" she moans and one of her hand migrates towards the back of his skull, lightly grabbing a fistful of his hair.

"I was thinking..." he peppers the porcelain skin of her neck with more kisses, inhaling her scent while doing so and humming in approval - "God, you smell amazing," he murmurs low and intimately into her ear. The gravely sound of his voice, evidently strained with latent arousal that is ready to burst out of the careful restraints.

"I was thinking, do you want to eat here or should we move to the couch?" he finally voices out his question and then he is gone. The absence of him from behind her, instantly making her miss the warmth that his bare chest had provided just a second ago.

He moves around the kitchen island and starts dishing out the food into their plates, while she stands there, gaping like a fish. He is smirking and she narrows her eyes at him, catching on to his devious little ploy to get her all hot and bothered. _Damn him. _

She shakes her head and then follows him towards the couch.

Dinner goes quietly. They don't speak much while they eat, just a few bits of conversation here and there, happy to just bask in the presence of one another. Even in the past, they have never been worried to fill in the silent gaps with pointless chatter. Even when silent, it's never awkward with them, more like companionable silence.

Beckett is sitting on the couch, while Castle is on the floor, leaning against the couch with his head level with her knees. They keep exchanging looks and smiles, eyes shining with the promise of what's to come next.

Castle finishes first and puts his plate on the coffee table. He takes one of the wine glasses off the table and takes a generous sip, wincing at the warm taste. He can't help it, he likes his wine chilled, he thinks to himself. _Oh well._

"You done?" Beckett nudges his shoulder with her left leg, while munching on her spring roll, her eyes tender with a different kind of openness he hasn't seen before.

"Full." he supplies, giving her knee a tender kiss and takes another swig of his wine. He puts his glass back on the table and then grabs her ankle and gently massages it from where he's sitting.

He moves his head back to look up at her, her eyes trained on him. Without breaking eye contact, he moves and places another kiss on the side of her knee – this time going for an open-mouthed kiss. "Let me take that for you," he juts his chin out in the direction of her plate, which is devoid of any food.

She hands him her plate, which he quickly deposits on the coffee table and then looks at her again. This time his whole body tilted towards her. His quiet demeanor suddenly making her both nervous and excited.

"So...?" she starts, throwing in a little smile in order to ease the tension that is palpable at this moment.

He just moves onto his knees and kisses the side of her right patella, all the while, massaging the heels of her feet. She lets out a little moan at his touch, which makes him even bolder and he kisses her thighs, first right then left, that are barely peeking out from under his shirt.

"Wha-what do you want to do now?" she husks out.

He looks up at her, enjoying the quiver in her voice. Glad he has her on edge.

His eyes are almost black at this moment, full with all the lust and desire that he has been keeping in check, ever since her need for food was voiced out by her tummy. He slides his hands behind her, at the small of her back and drags her towards the edge of the couch, forcing her legs to part, as he situates himself in the vee of her legs.

She is surprised by this sudden move and a quiet gasp leaves her dry lips. She grips his shoulders tightly, finding it hard to breathe after witnessing the predatory look in his eyes. She wets her lips in anticipation.

He smirks, loving her reaction towards him, towards his touch. He feels powerful with the knowledge of it, eagerly waits to have her at his mercy, begging, sobbing and writhing under his hands – his mouth.

"I think it's time for dessert." And with that he attaches his mouth to hers.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Sorry again for the late update. I hope you guys are enjoying this story. A huge thanks to every one who took time out to read this little fic and shared their thoughts. Your reviews are welcomed, as always, don't hesitate to give me your feedback. Probably, just one more chapter after this one. Enjoy :) **

**M.**

* * *

"_Wha-what do you want to do now?" she husks out._

_He looks up at her, enjoying the quiver in her voice. Glad he has her on edge._

_His eyes are almost black at this moment, full with all the lust and desire that he has been keeping in check, ever since her need for food was voiced out by her tummy. He slides his hands behind her, at the small of her back and drags her towards the edge of the couch, forcing her legs to part, as he situates himself in the vee of her legs. _

_She is surprised by this sudden move and a quiet gasp leaves her dry lips. She grips his shoulders tightly, finding it hard to breathe after witnessing the predatory look in his eyes. She wets her lips in anticipation._

_He smirks, loving her reaction towards him, towards his touch. He feels powerful with the knowledge of it, eagerly waits to have her at his mercy, begging, sobbing and writhing under his hands – his mouth._

"_I think it's time for dessert." And with that he attaches his mouth to hers. _

The kiss is slow, almost languid and nothing like what she had expected. She was anticipating hard and fast, but this deep, erotic and careful exploration of her mouth has her toes curling. She digs her nails into the meat of his shoulders in a metronomic rhythm, overwhelmed by the power of his kiss, encouraging him without words. The deep rumble she elicits deep from his throat is swallowed whole by the warm, wet cavern of her mouth.

They kiss like that for ages, losing themselves in the sensations, slowly sipping from each others mouths. Castle moves his hands from where they are situated at the small of her back and delicately cups her jaw – loving the way how her jaw works under the soft but firm pressure of his mouth. He detaches his lips from hers with a loud pop but not moving away, his forehead resting against hers, both of them sharing the same air and trying to catch their breath.

Beckett's eyes are closed, the evidence of their make out evident on her slightly parted lips that look ripe and damp, breathing ragged, her hot, sweet bursts of breaths fanning across his damp lips. Castle drops another chaste kiss on those thoroughly kissed lips and then moves his hands south.

She shudders bodily and lets out a quiet moan when she feels his large hands working on freeing the only two buttons on his shirt that she had strategically buttoned up. She swallows thickly and moves her hand to the back of his neck, lovingly stroking the back of his head – waiting. She can see utter concentration in his movements, the way he is solely focused on getting the shirt unbuttoned, freeing the tiny disks with his large hands, his eyes downcast - waiting for the material to part and reveal what's underneath.

He parts the shirt, as soon as he finishes unbuttoning it. They both groan out in pleasure and Beckett's eyes slam shut. The soft, trembling weight of her breasts come on full display. Her chest pistoning with the rapid thump of her pulse. _So breathtakingly beautiful. _

"Kate," he whispers in awe. His hands moving of their own accord, delicately cupping the soft weight of her heaving breasts. She moans out loud, her head thumping at the back of the couch, her body failing to stay upright under the weight of her arousal. "Oh, Kate," he is amazed by the softness of her skin, like satin under his touch. He lightly kneads her mounds and rubs his thumbs back and forth against her rosy buds. The friction shooting arrows straight down to her core, causing liquid heat to pool in her belly.

"Look at me," he demands. She mewls at his request, body sprung tight, one hand grasping tightly at the armrest, the other one holding the back of his neck. Her eyes flutter open and locks with his hooded ones as he rubs furiously at her nipples, loving the feel of them puckering under his touch.

He gives her nipples a little tug and her body arches in response. Not wanting to wait any longer he swoops in and takes her left nipple into his mouth.

"Oh, God!" she moans out, hissing when he gives her a gentle nip, which he then soothes with the hot swipe of his tongue and proceeds to lazily suckle on her breast. He leaves her left breast with a loud pop and gives the same attention to its twin.

"Ahh, Rick..." she holds him close to her chest by his ear and drops kisses across his temple. "Mmm... So good," she adds when he tugs her nipple with his lips. When it gets to be too much for her, she pushes him back and attaches her mouth to his. His mouth opening under hers and she wastes no time in slipping her wicked, talented tongue inside.

He moves down, kissing across the line of her jaw, lavishing attention on her collarbones, then proceeds further down and nipping at the bunching muscles of her abdomen. He can already smell her and his mouth waters at the thought of tasting her again.

One hand snakes its way behind her and adds pressure at her tailbone, while his other hand moves to her shoulder and presses down – making his intent clear as to what he wants. She complies, willingly, not sure whether she could take any more of this slow exploration. Needing to hurry this along.

He puts his hands on her knees and parts her legs, opening her to his hungry eyes and mouth. He skates his palms along the quivering muscles of her thighs, encountering wetness as they make their journey towards the apex of her thighs.

Her breathing is ragged and he hasn't even touched her yet. The moment his mouth descends on her stars burst bright behind her closed eyelids. Both her hands find their way into the silky, thick locks of his hair. _God, he is so amazingly good at this. _She wonders, the words rolling in waves, swirling round and round in her mind, but the clever work of his tongue on her clit eliminates any ability of coherent thought and her mind goes blank, as she completely surrenders herself to the onslaught of sensations that the man between her legs is evoking within her.

Castle groans his appreciation of her flavour, her scent – dark, thick, tart with hints of sweetness. He can hear her incessant moans, reverberating across the silence of her apartment. He tries to look at her but the angle is awkward and he only gets a glimpse of the underside of her breasts. He tries to move again, momentarily dislodging his mouth from her centre but she quickly nudges him back, telling him to finish off what he started.

Formulating a plan, he removes himself from between her weeping, soft core; revelling in the whimper of disappointment that the move elicits from her throat.

"Wh-why did you stop?" she questions. Adorably mussed and undeniably sexy. Instead of answering he kisses his way back up to her mouth and gives her a deep kiss. She groans to what he thinks is the heady sensation of tasting herself on his tongue.

He moves back from her enticing mouth and works the shirt off her shoulders, leaving her completely bare in front of him. Her eyes, completely blown with desire, look at him with so much love and trust. After depositing her shirt, he pushes the coffee table off to one side then lays out the discarded shirt on the rug. Even though, the rug is soft against his fingertips, he still puts the shirt and a couple of couch cushions down so not to give her any rug burn.

When he's happy with his work, he looks back at her. _Oh. _She makes quite a picture – all naked and lithe, sitting upright on her couch, eyes glittering with undisguised lust, thighs clenched tight to alleviate some of the ache that he knows he is has caused. The last thought warms his heart, loving the idea that he gets to do this now, gets to love her the way he had wanted for so damn long. The relief at the realization hits him full force and he quietly, staggering on his knees, makes his way towards her.

"Come here," he murmurs, as he reaches her. His arms open in invitation and she accepts without resistance. "Bed?" she murmurs her question. Her breath coming out in a stutter when he cradles her to his chest. He drops a quick kiss on the soft bow of her lips and shakes his head. "Later," he promises, because right now he has other plans for her.

He gathers her up in his arms and gently lays her down on the makeshift bed he has made. Cradling her head, he carefully settles her head on the cushion – arranging the silky strands of her hair so that they look like an angel's halo, spread out beautifully on the cushion beneath her head.

He balances himself onto his left elbow and looks down at her. His eyes giving her a slow perusal, cataloguing all the contours of her body and every freckle that his eye discovers. She lifts her left hand and grabs onto his bicep, getting his attention. He looks down at her face and gives her a full blown smile and she reciprocates with a shy one of her own.

"Hi," he murmurs. "Hi," she responds. She shudders at the tenderness when he starts stroking the mole on her left cheek and she can't help but tilt her face into his touch. "This ok?" he nods towards the makeshift bed and she nods quickly. Smiling brightly at him, while she lovingly strokes his bicep. He sighs at her touch and closes his eyes. "Have I ever told you how beautiful you are?" he adds with a sweet smile. She just blushes, a deep flush spreading across her face and neck, which has nothing to do with them being so intimately close and naked – well, she is totally naked, while he still has his boxers on.

Her hand, where it is continually stroking his bicep, snakes its way up towards the back of his neck and gives him a little tug, letting him know what she wants from him. He complies, never able to deny this woman anything. Their lips meet in a slow and sizzling kiss, her mouth opening immediately, welcoming his thick, wet tongue inside. She hums her approval and strokes her tongue along his, her hand moving up and down his chest, making his blood boil and sizzle with arousal.

His hand moves from its place beside her head and skates along her side towards her hip. Then he reaches behind her and grabs her ass – the warm, soft fullness of her cheeks filling his palm and he couldn't help but give her a hearty squeeze.

She moans out. Loud. Deciding that he wants to hear more of these melodious sounds, his hand slithers across her belly and then suddenly goes down between her legs and cups her fully.

"God, Castle!" she croaks out. He swallows her moans, the sound reverberating between their fused mouths, the vibrations shooting straight down to his groin, making his boxers go even tighter.

He strokes her wet, dripping folds with his middle finger, while his thumb makes tight little circles on her clit. She mewls and he stops kissing her and moves back, resting his weight on his left elbow. In this position he gets a full view of the writhing, sobbing mess of a woman beneath him, her head thrashing from side to side as he pushes into her with the same finger that had been stroking between her folds.

"Kate, you're so wet," he revels in the slickness of her arousal, his finger easily moving inside her. She cries out, her head thrown back into the cushion, body bowed, one arm holding onto his shoulder while the other one scrambles for purchase. He has never seen anything more beautiful in his life than Kate Beckett in the throes of passion. She is breathtaking like this and he intends on breaking her apart with his fingers and then his mouth. _Mmm... Yes. _

She is crying out and thrashing wildly, eyes slammed shut. He wants to see those eyes, wants to see what shade of green they turn when she shatters around his fingers. "Open your eyes, Kate." He orders. "I want to see you," he adds. She whimpers, willing her body to comply with his command. Fighting with all her strength to open her eyes and look straight at his face, which is deep in concentration; concentrated to give her as much pleasure as possible.

She reaches out to him with a trembling hand and cups his cheek, her thumb softly stroking his bottom lip, bringing him down to meet her quivering lips. She sobs his name and pleas into his mouth – asking for _more_ and _harder_ and _Castle please._

The vein in her forehead is livid and throbbing, and as she looks up at him he adds a second finger into her and her eyes flutter. She is so tight and snug around him. So hot and perfect. Wet, beyond his wildest imaginations. Her inner muscles squeeze his fingers tight, clamping down on them – not willing to let his fingers go as he tries to move them out. Her hips gyrate in time with his hand – they have built a steady rhythm but he can tell that she's close because her walls start to flutter around his fingers and her rhythm falters as he speeds up his movements.

He runs his eyes all over her lithe form, body covered in a thin sheen of sweat, hips working furiously to chase out the pleasure that his fingers are offering her. He looks at the place where his hand disappears inside her. Mesmerized by the slick evidence of her body's desire for him, his lips twitching for a taste.

His breathe whooshes out of him with the feel of her. The deep, innermost ridges of her calling out for his exploration and he penetrates her a little deeper and doubles the pressure on her clit. When he looks back at her, he sees her looking at him with wide eyes, her left hand flittering over the rug, trying to hold on to something – clearly affected by the way he was looking at what he's doing to her.

Carefully, he uses his left hand to cradle the back of her skull, applying slight pressure in a soothing manner. She is whimpering and moaning out louder by every passing second. Her body thrumming with so much restrained energy, body coiled tight with tension – tension that she feels is soon to be released as she feels closer to reaching that imminent fall.

He twists and curls his fingers inside her and she cries out. Her mind blissfully blank, her lungs gasping for breath. She slightly curls into his side, the line of her body shifting into him - seeking contact, finding his penetrating gaze to be too much, wanting to just hide her face in the crook of his neck. But he would have none of it, wouldn't let her hide. He keeps a firm grip on the back of her skull, keeping her in place. This time she begs. _Kate Beckett _actually _begged. Wow._

"Shh.. Kate, you're doing so well. God! If you could just look at yourself right now. I-..," he breaks off, overwhelmed with the emotions this woman is evoking inside of him, making a rush of warmth bloom inside his chest. He smatters kisses all over her face. Her forehead – tonguing the length of her vein, her closed eyelids, her nose, the apples of her cheeks and then finally her mouth, which is open for him in invitation. He kisses her slowly, letting all the emotions seep into his kiss. He moves down and lays sucking kisses along the slender column of her porcelain throat, which works under his lips as she swallows thickly – loving the feel of the tiny whimpers she makes at the back of her throat. Then collecting the salty beads of sweat pooled in the dip of her collarbones, humming in approval.

Feeling the walls of her elastic inner muscles fluttering wildly, he moves back up and whispers hoarsely in her ear, "Let go, Kate," and nips her earlobe then sucks it into his mouth, pulsing it between his tongue and the roof of his mouth. "I've got you. Just let go." He commands in a soft voice. She groans and her hips buck faster into his hand, losing the steady rhythm they had set. "Let go for me, Kate."

He scissors his fingers inside her and presses down onto her hardened nub and that's all it takes to push her over the cliff. She comes with a scream, her head thrown back into the cushion, body convulsing wildly, her hand finding the leg of her coffee table and holding on, eyes fluttering, nose flaring and mouth wide open with the weight of her orgasm that comes crashing down over her.

He keeps the steady movement of his fingers going through her orgasm, letting her ride it out. Her hips continuing the dance but missing a beat or two as she starts coming down from her high.

_Oh God. _Her mind is completely blank. She has never had such a powerful orgasm before, where she thought she could just crawl out of her skin, every nerve ending on fire because of it. She swallows around the headiness of her scent that has permeating the air they are both breathing in. She knows she came hard, if the slickness of Castle's fingers, still lightly stroking through her folds, is anything to go by.

When she opens her eyes, she is met with the most intense gaze – all mingled with much love and awe. He takes his hand out from between her weeping core, and maintaining their eye contact, brings it to his mouth.

She groans out when she sees him sucking his fingers, covered with her thick juices. He groans out his approval of her taste and utters a quiet _delicious_ around his fingers before releasing them with a loud pop.

Her eyes are glued to his lips, breath coming out in soft pants, hitting him square in the face, waiting for him to share with her but he simply gives her a smirk – the corner of his mouth lifting and she knows he's not done with her yet. The thought has only occurred to her when he slithers down her body and in a move so quick, lifts up her hips and deposits a cushion underneath her – elevating her hips.

He knows she hasn't come down completely from her orgasm but after tasting her on his fingers, he just can't wait any longer. He spreads her legs wide, his eyes zeroing in on the dampness caused by her juices, knowing exactly well how it will taste on his tongue. So with one last look at her, telling without telling that he is about to completely devour her, he presses his mouth to her core.

She screams out. "Wha-..., what are you doing?" her voice trembles as her lungs work hard to suck in another breath. He laughs, a low rumble deep in his chest which sends vibrations shooting into her core and she whimpers at the sensations, "Oh. Oh God!" she cries out. He chuckles and breaks the seal of his lips on her clit, "Do I really have to spell it out, Detective?" pressing a sweet kiss on her thighs and then on her belly.

He swipes his tongue along her folds, bottom to top. Gathers her juices on his tongue and then sucks on her clit. He moves her right leg and drapes it over his shoulder, while he covers her left thigh with his arm, securing her in place and opening her wider at the same time.

He looks up and sees her playing with her breasts, plucking and pinching her nipples. Head thrown back, mouth open in an 'O' shape - looking like a goddess in all her naked glory. He goes back to the task at hand and snakes his tongue out to tease her clit, uses the rough ridges of the back of his tongue and moves it over her clit.

"Not what...," she loses her train of thought as he gently nips at her folds. "Ahh!" she hisses and then continues, "not what I meant." She gets out, her mind scrambling for the right words. She reaches down and gently swipes his hair back from his forehead and tugs at his locks while he sucks on her.

He quirks his eyebrow at her in question, not understanding what she means but then she presses herself closer to his mouth and he opens his mouth wider against her, taking more of her inside the warm cavern of his mouth.

"Need you inside," she starts again. Her breathing so out of control and her heart pummels against her chest. He skates his palms along her legs, her thighs, and moulds both his hands at her waist – guiding the movement of her hips. His large hands dwarfing her waist completely, making her feel engulfed by his presence, feeling swallowed whole by him, laid bare at his mercy.

She's dripping on to the cushion placed beneath her ass and he closes his eyes and laps at her essence – it seems like the more he takes, the more she has to offer. While he sucks on the hardened pearl, he moves his chin and presses down at her opening, knowing full well that the added pressure will do wonders for her and he isn't disappointed when he hears her barely coherent whispers of pleas.

She can't take it any longer, he is leisurely devouring her with his mouth. Not seeming to be in any hurry, languidly gliding his tongue through her slick folds and then peppering her with open-mouthed kisses, occasionally adding his teeth to the mix. She reaches for his ear and tugs and he groans out his disapproval. But at her insistent tug he stops, removes his lips from her but doesn't go far away. His hot bursts of breaths fanning across her over-sensitive core.

"Please, Castle. I need you inside me," she whimpers. Not at all embarrassed at the way she sounds. Ready to even beg, if she has to because she just wants to feel him moving inside of her, filling all the lonely places of herself with his body.

He moves up her body then, dropping kisses as he goes up. Paying extra attention to her swollen nipples, gently suckling on them and knowing full well that they must be sensitive from all the pinching she had been doing, he leaves them and goes up to meet her waiting mouth. She immediately latches onto his mouth, her breath coming out in a stutter when she feels the evidence of her arousal all over his face and tastes the flavour of herself mingled with his own. _Mmm. Not bad. _She wonders as she kisses him, banding her arms around his back, holding him close, cupping his shoulder blades – revelling in the strength that hides beneath his bunched up muscles as he holds himself above her.

Much to her disappointment, he breaks the wet seal of their lips with a loud, smacking pop and when she opens her eyes, he's moving back down. Already draping her legs over his shoulders, ready to dive back in. "Why?" she croaks out. Not understanding why he wouldn't just give in to her pleas because she's not sure how long she can take his teasing her with his leisurely pace, not allowing her to come – just keeping her on the very edge.

"You promised dessert, Kate." He thumbs apart her glistening folds and drops a chaste kiss to her clit. "I'm simply enjoying my dessert," he blows out on her and she sobs, her body arching without permission. "Let me enjoy my dessert," he adds, while moving his hands up her smooth, lithe body and cupping her breasts, kneading them.

"Rick...," she brings her hands over his but he cuts her off before she could continue. "Do you trust me?" he asks, voice barely above a whisper.

His sudden question halts her mid-thought. Does she? Well, of course, she does. There is no doubt in her mind. She trusts him implicitly – she has always trusted him with her job. When they are out in the field, she completely trusts him to have her back because he has proven himself, time and time again, that he is her partner, who always has her back. _Always. _And now, she trusts him with her heart as well. She does because that's the reason they are here right now. In this moment. Together. So she takes a fortifying breath and then squeezes his hands with her that are still cupping her soft mounds.

"Yes. I do," she lets out. So much surety in her voice that bolsters his confidence and he gives her a bright, illuminating smile that lights up his whole face. _Wow. He really is beautiful. _And suddenly, the words that she has been keeping in for so long, wants to escape, pushing against the seam of her lips. _Later. _She promises herself. She will tell him that she loves him, has been in love with him for so long and that he is the only man she trusts enough to entrust her heart to, trusts enough to dive into this headlong.

He's still smiling at her, the cerulean blue orbs shining brightly with undisguised love and affection for her. She can't help but return his smile with a dazzling, full-on toothy smile of her own.

"Good," the deep baritone of his voice washes over her like silk. "then just relax and enjoy this." He says while moving his hands beneath her and cupping her ass in his large ones. "And once I'm done with my dessert, you can drag me into that bedroom of yours and have your wicked way with me," he chuckles darkly and there's a glint of amusement in his eyes as he watches her carefully, getting ready for him – hands already grasping tight on to the cushion that pillows her head. He smirks and she gives him a wicked, saucy smile in return. "oh and Kate, don't forget to breathe." He adds with a chuckle and sees her smile wiped off her face, annoyance radiating off of her at his remark but before she can say anything he raises her hips and aligns her centre with his mouth and dives in.

_Ass. _She is ready to tell him that don't be cocky when he opens his mouth over her and all thought is wiped out clean from her brain.

This time he is relentless in his efforts. Sucking harder. Gone is the soft sucking, reverent kisses and light nips. This time round, he works his mouth faster and harder over her. He gives her butt cheeks rhythmic squeezes so she moves under his mouth at a set pace. The silent apartment is filled with the lewd sound of his mouth sucking on her, panting breaths, his deep groans and her soft mewls and whimpers – creating a symphony that is music to his ears because hearing _Kate Beckett_ moan out has got to be one of the sexiest things ever.

His muffled words reach her ears and shoot through her core, as her muscles clench at the vibrations of his deep voice, every inch of her on fire. Looking down at him, his head between her legs, the image so erotic that she drapes an arm across her forehead, shielding her eyes from the intensity of this visual, especially in this position, while her other hand latches on to his hair – keeping him in place, pistoning her hips harder into his demanding mouth.

He tenses his tongue and pushes it at her opening, her sweet, slick walls giving way to it. She screams at the sudden intrusion, the soft yet hard intrusion of his tongue a little unfamiliar but feeling oh so good that has her feet digging sharply into his back, where her legs are draped over his shoulders. Her toes curl into the hard muscles of his back and he nips at her clit for that and then pushing harder into her with his tongue and that's all it takes because in the next instance she comes. Hard.

He doesn't let up, keeps moving his mouth over her. His hands moving all over her, her knees, her thighs, her waist, her breasts – anywhere he could reach. He hears her sobbing above him while he hungrily laps at her, gathering every last drop of her essence that is the result of her orgasm.

"Please," she croaks out. Her throat dry and lips parched. She wets her lips and tries again, "Castle... too sensitive. Can't...," she heaves a deep breath. Her heart feels like its ready to break through the cage of her ribs, the drumming beat of her pulse getting louder in her ears.

He hums and after giving her one final lick, moves from between her legs and comes to lie down beside her. He drapes a possessive arm across her belly and drags her in close, the long line of her body cuddling in close, while he kisses away the moisture that trails down from the corner of her eye.

Rolling fully on to their sides, face-to-face, arms and legs twined while he moves his hands in a soothing fashion all over her heated, sated limbs. Her sweat stained skin plastered to his and she inches even closer, draping a leg over his hip, panting quietly as she presses her face into the crook of his neck.

He kisses the crown of her head and rubs his hands up and down her spine. Relaxing her quivering muscles. After a while, when her breathing gets back to normal, she tilts her chin upwards, seeking his mouth. He nudges her nose with his and lets out a contented sigh; she wastes no time and quickly slips her eager tongue into his mouth.

They both hum in satisfaction as their tongues waltz languidly. His kiss so thorough and searching, finding every corner of her mouth, running his tongue along the sharp, dangerous ridges of her teeth and she lightly nips his tongue, smiling into the kiss then sucks on it. He groans and brings her even closer, combing his hands through the tangled mess of her hair, lightly massaging her scalp.

They kiss like that for minutes or maybe hours, they don't really notice. Simply lying there, basking in each others presence, sipping from each others lips, breathing the same here. When they break apart, they stare at one another, sharing the same pillow, their faces inches apart.

She raises her left hand and traces the contours of his face, her heart melting when he sighs, his eyes drifting close and his body relaxes under her touch. _I finally get to touch him like this. _She thinks to herself. Loving the feel of his smooth skin under her fingertips, he must have shaved before coming here, she deduces.

Carding her fingers through his hair at the nape of his neck, she lays there in his arms, content in the quiet little bubble they have made.

"Mmm.. this is nice," he whispers. Opening his eyes, loving the flecks of gold that glitter deep within the forest green of her eyes. She lets out a tinkle of laughter. "What? You mean teasing me mercilessly for the past hour?" she husks out. Her voice is laced with amusement and he cants forward, unintentionally pressing their hips together and they both let out a soft groan. He chuckles then, securing an errant strand of hair behind her ear and gently stroking the outer shell of her ear. "Yes that, too. But I meant right now. Being with you like this. Feels amazing," he adds. "You have no idea how long I have waited for this," he adds while rubbing circles at her hips.

"You mean making me your conquest?" She says jokingly, biting her lip to smother the smile that skirts along the edges of her mouth.

But his gaze turns completely serious and he swoops in and lays a demanding kiss on her mouth. Prying her lips apart with his tongue and delving in with so much authority that has her keening into the kiss. All of a sudden, he breaks apart and rests his forehead against hers. His hot puffs of breaths fanning across her dampened lips. "Not a conquest. Never. I-," he stops himself again. Not sure whether this is the right time for declarations of love. _Later. _He thinks. He'll tell her later because right now, this thing between them is so new, so fragile that he doesn't want to break the momentum in anyway. Doesn't want to burden her with his love for her because he knows very well how well she copes with such emotions. So, he thinks that he will tell her when the time is right. _Later._

She can see he is waging some sort of an internal battle. Feels silly for blurting out those words. Even though, she had meant them as a joke, she should have known that he must still think that she might still be wary of his true feelings for her. She has made him wait for so long, denying and rejecting him so many times that he must still doubt her. She is ready to apologize and tell him that she meant nothing by what she said, that it was all just a joke and that she knows that she isn't just a conquest to him. But he beats her to it and his voice breaks the silence.

"Kate, you are so much more to me than a conquest. I hope you understand that, right?" the slight doubt and concern infused in his question breaks her heart for him. She quickly scrambles on to reassure him. Tell him that of course, she knows that. "Hey, Castle. Look at me." he looks anywhere but her face, avoiding eye contact. But she'll have none of it. So, she scoots closer to him and grabs the back of his head and makes her look at her, "Rick, I was just joking, okay?" she adds, "I didn't mean anything by it. Just a silly joke. I know how much this means to you and trust me when I say this that it's equally important to me. I may not say things out loud, may not let on what's going on in my mind so easily but it's the truth, Castle."

At her reassurance, he perks up slightly and skates his hand along the lattice of her ribs. She hums, her eyes fluttering close on a sigh and then she attaches her mouth to his. Conveying without words, what this means to her, what _he _means to her. Pouring every last ounce of her unvoiced feelings into the kiss and then some.

When they break apart after a while, her hand snakes around his back and dips beneath the waistband of his boxers, giving his ass a hearty squeeze, which has him yelping out in surprise. She just laughs and brings her hand out of his boxers and skims it across his belly, running her fingers teasingly along his happy trail that disappears below the waist of his boxers. Her mouth goes dry when she sees how tented his boxers are and instantly feels bad that he must be in so much pain, keeping his arousal in check, putting her pleasure before his.

"So..." she traces the outline of his bulging erection over his boxers, her eyes gleaming with mischief. "How about you finally take me to bed so that I can have my wicked way with you, hmm?" she drawls out in her best bedroom voice, which has him whimpering in anticipation. She swipes her tongue along his lower lip then nips it lightly. "What do you say?" she bites her lip, knowing full well the effect this move has on him.

He goes in for a kiss, laving her bottom lip with his tongue, trying to soothe the abused flesh and suckling on it gently. She whimpers and opens up for him but he leaves her mouth gaping for more and quickly, with all the dexterity in the world, scoops her up in his arms and starts making his way towards her bedroom.

She squeals in surprise and laughs along as he takes long, careful strides with her in his arms – bridal style – and when he reaches her bed, he gently deposits her on the mattress. He is about to take off his boxers and join her in the bed when his phone starts ringing from the kitchen. Since, he remembers leaving it on the kitchen island.

He looks down at her, all naked and ready for another round, gives her an apologetic smile and she dismisses him. Shushing him out to go take the call and get back in the bedroom as quickly as possible. He smiles at her and drops a kiss to her forehead, watching her get beneath the covers as he leaves her bedroom.

She smiles to herself when he leaves the bedroom. Feeling content after so long. She catches snippets of his conversation on the phone with what seems like to be with his daughter and an involuntary smile blooms across her face. She is still amazed by his complete dedication to his daughter. She loves this side of him, it's one of the many things that she got attracted to in the beginning. He is a man who loves his family dearly. Loves every person in his life he holds dear, and the thought spreads warmth throughout her, infusing her with the love she knows he holds for her. Knowing that he loves her completely and with all his being.

She smiles into her pillow and lets out a deep sigh, loving the feel of the cold sheets against her naked body, willing her mind to relax for a few seconds before he comes in.

He reassures her daughter that everything is fine and that he'll be in late so she doesn't have to wait up. He thinks she understands the underlying meaning behind his message but is grown enough to let it go and not pry for more details, for both their sakes. _At least, my mother wouldn't be polite enough to let it go so easily._ He thinks to himself and shakes his head in amusement.

He bid his daughter goodnight, telling her he loves her and then ends the call. He then pads his way through her kitchen and towards her bedroom. When he gets to her bedroom, he notices the lamp on her side of the bed is still on but she is lying still. Her breathing deep. He pads quietly towards her side and leans down and realizes that she has fallen asleep.

Her face mashed into the pillow, her hair scattered around her in an adorable mess. _I really wore her out._ He grins with a satisfied smirk plastered on his face. He looks down at her and watches her sleep some more, her even breathing creating a soothing sound in the quiet of her bedroom.

He switches off her lamp, carefully makes his way to the other side and eases himself under the comforter with care, so not to jostle the mattress too much - scared to wake her up from her deep slumber. He moves closer and drapes himself along her back, bringing an arm across her belly and securing her in place. She must be really tired because she hardly wakes up, just snuggles further into his embrace and lets out a deep sigh, her hand finding his on her stomach and entwines their fingers together.

She lets out an incoherent mumble and he simply kisses her shoulder and tells her to sleep. The last thing she remembers is him inhaling deeply, where his nose is pressed at the back of her neck, mumbling a silent _I love you _into her skin.


End file.
